Black Flag Academy
by popcake
Summary: Nami is sent to pirate school by Arlong to steal the Devil's Fruit that's hidden there. It soon turns out not to be an easy task, especially with her new 'nakama' following her around everywhere! Will she be able to steal the fruit and save Cocoyashi village from Arlong? - I do not own any of these characters, nor do I own One Piece -
1. Chapter 1: Home

Nami's POV:

"This is it, Missy!"

The anchor hit the water surface with a _splash_. I sighed. In front of me lay Black Flag Island. The Island lay so remote in East Blue, that it took a week and a half to get there. It had to be: Piracy was illegal after all. A school for pirates-to-be had to be properly hidden for the World Government.

"Something wrong, Missy?" the captain, a short, old man, had noticed my tired expression. "No," I answered, "Just a little tired." "The trip was tiring indeed." the captain scratched his head. "Normally we arrive before you know it. It's always fun with all the students on board." He let his gaze go over the empty deck. "What the hell were you thinking, joining halfway through the year?" "I hesitated."

I couldn't tell him that I was after the treasure. A rumour had cought Arlongs Ears a while ago, and he sent me to figure things out. Apparently, a Devil's Fruit was in possesion of the school.

This was my last assignment. If I brought Arlong the fruit, he would leave Cocoyashi Village and all this would be over. Nojiko and the others would be safe. I needed to steal the fruit, no matter what.

I was planning to enter the school, steal the fruit and flee. Perhaps I could use this ship? I shook my head at the thought. In my mind it seemed so easy, but the truth was different. I didn't even have a proper plan.

There was only one way to get to the school: signing up. There would be a thourough background check, wich I passed because of my connections to Arlong. The location of the Island was a secret, and even with my navigation skills I coudn't have found it. Even now I wasn't sure where we were, all I knew is that it was somewhere in East Blue.

The Island seemed uninhabited at first. There was someone waiting for me at the beach, however. A boy with black, curly hair, wearing brown overalls and a brown bag around his shoulders, greeted me.

"Welcome to Black Flag Island!" he yelled, waving both arms as if I was standing miles away. "My name is Usopp, nice to meet you!" "H-hi..." I said, stunned by his enthousiasm. "Follow me, I'll take you to the school grounds!" Without further warning, he took one of my suitcases and started walking. I took the other one and followed him.

"Usopp, where is everybody?" I asked. "This island seems uninhabited." "This is an illegal organisation!" Usopp said, stating the obvious. "If a ship happens to pass by the crew is not supposed to see the school!" I mentally blamed myself for asking such a stupid question. "It's a two-mile walk from the beach." Usopp added. He then began rattling about the history of the island.

I looked around. We were walking through a green forest. The branches of the trees joined above our heads, forming a roof made out of leaves. The sunlight that fell through the natural roof created a fairy tale-like atmosphere. I heard birds chirping everywhere around us.

The path ran slightly upwards, but more annoyingly: _Usopp was fast._Meanwhile, he was still rattling on, changing the subject to the time he fought a bear and won -seemingly a lie- and he didn't notice how I struggled to keep up with him. Just when I was about to interfere with his heroic speech, he stopped talking. He stopped walking as well, but I noticed too late and bumped into him, dropping my suitcase to the ground.

Usopp looked around for a moment, only to change direction and leave the path. "Follow me," he said. I didn't really have a choice. With lots of effort we made our way through the branches and bushes. What the hell was Usopp doing? Just as I wanted to complain, we got out of the forest.

The deep abyss startled me and forced me to shut my eyes for a moment. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Usopp's words made me open my eyes, only to be shocked again.

Far beneath us lay an immense valley, surrounded by mountains, with green plains and a forest. There was a lake to the east, and in the north was a village. In the middle, impossible to overlook, were the school grounds.

My eyes got wider with the second as my gaze went through the valley. _How? How was this possible? How could something so beautiful be in the hands of pirates?_In my opinion, pirates were scum. nothing more, nothing less. Yet, this view was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

Usopp tried to keep himself from laughing when he turned to look at my face, but failed miserably. "Something tells me that you didn't expect this." _Well, Usopp, something tells me it's written on my face. "_I just don't feel like we went up this far." I said, trying to hide my annoyance and, most of all, my disbelief. "That's right," Usopp said. "This valley lies below sea level. It's kind of like an inside-out fish tank."

As we got back to the path, Usopp continued the way. He also proceeded his monologue. I was glad I didn't have to talk as I picked up my suitcase again, overwhelmed by what I just saw. Usopp started walking twice as fast, but the path ran down now so it didn't take as much effort to keep up.

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the gates to the school grounds. I didn't realise the letters in the arch above the gates spelled the name of my new home:

**Black Flag Academy**

**_A.N. _**_I have been writing for a while now, but this is the first time I found the courage to publish something. Please leave a review, I would love to know what you think of this short introduction! I will be publishing new chapters every once in a while. _

_English is not my native language, and I apologize for any grammatical errors! It takes a lot of time to write everything in Dutch and then translate it, so sometimes I over look small grammatical errors. I hope it doesn't bother you too much! ;)_


	2. Chapter 2: First Day

Behind the gates was a square, surrounded by buildings. In front of us, on the opposite side of the square, stood the main building. The humongous white building looked like an abbey. An abbey with a jolly roger. The Black flag with a skull wearing a scolar cap was waving on the roof. I stared at the flag and didn't notice the looks I got from the people on the lively square. It was when I was greeted by a new face that I noticed the stares. I didn't get time to think about it, however. The blue-haired girl standing in front of me and Usopp greeted us with a smile.

"I'm Vivi, nice to meet you!" "I'm Nami." I surprised myself by giving this cold answer, but it didn't seem to bother Usopp and Vivi one bit. "The principal wanted to meet you," Vivi continued. Her friendly expression faded and worry came in to place. "But I'm afraid your meeting has been delayed because Zoro and Sanji are fighting again and mister Newgate went to stop them." Usopp rolled his eyes. "And probably expell them." He added. Vivi didn't answer. She tried to put up a friendly face again and turned to me. "How about I show you your room?" I nodded sheepishly. My tired body was screaming for some rest. "All right," Usopp said. "I still need to see Luffy, so I'm leaving you now." He turned to me. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" With that, he turned around and left me alone with Vivi after handing my suitcase to her.

The dorms were behind the main building. The building was even bigger than the main one, with balconies sticking out of the dark brown walls. Behind the front doors was a lobby, with stairs on each side and another door in the back. "The right side is the boy's wing." Vivi pointed at the stairs to the right. "We are going this way." I followed her up the stairs on the left side. As we were walking, Vivi looked at a piece of paper that Usopp gave her before he left. "314," she read out loud. "I think you have a balcony!" She happily continued the way, going all the way up the stairs to the third floor, the top floor.

I hadn't known what to expect when Arlong sent me to a school for pirates, but even so the kindness of the people I met today surprised me. I was going to stay here for a while anyway, so it couldn't hurt to make some friends.

_Shit_. I was going to betray these people. I was going to steal from this school. I looked at Vivi, wondering if I would be able to let her down. I'd betrayed pirates before. Criminal, unreliable, scary pirates. It didn't take too much effort to steal their treasure, and it never made me feel bad. This seemed so much different. Worry was about to take over my mind when the sound of a door opening shook me out of my thoughts.

My room did have a balcony, like Vivi had said. There was a bed with a night stand against the left wall, and a door that most likely led to the bathroom. A desk with a chair stood on the opposite side of the room. Next to the desk was a couch and a wardrobe. It was a pretty basic and boring room with white walls and a wooden floor, but nevertheless the warm bed seemed oddly inviting.

"It seems like you don't have to share your room." Vivi pointed at the bed. "Me and my roommate have a bunk bed." She walked into the room and put my suitcase on the ground. "You must be tired, so I'll leave you alone for now." I couldn't help but smile back at her, relieved that I would finally get to rest. "My room is one floor down, number 203. If you need anything you can find me there!" She gave me one last friendly smile before she shut the door behind her. I sheepishly stared at the door for a moment before I realized she was gone. I quickly put down my other suitcase and opened the door. I practically ran into the hallway. I couldn't help myself. As Vivi turned around, her face surprised, I finally managed to smile at her. "Thanks, Vivi!" I couldn't believe it at that time, but I actually meant what I said. Vivi smiled, nodded and turned around again. I felt a lot better when I closed the door to my room behind me.

I wanted to get some fresh air before I was going to give in to my fatigue, so I opened the door to the balcony. From this place I could see over the roof of the main building, into the valley. The sun was starting to set, resulting in a beautiful, orange glow over the landscape. I looked up and saw clouds piling up in the distance. Rain.

Below me I heard an enthusiastic voice. Looking down, I found Usopp talking to someone I didn't recognize. He was wearing a straw hat that kept his face out of view and cheering happily about something while Usopp tried to calm him down, but failed. Was this the person Usopp wanted to see? What was his name again? I sighed when I couldn't remember his name. I didn't feel like thinking about it either, going inside again and shutting the door.

And then it hit me. The realization. I didn't want to be here. I didn't belong here. Stealing the fruit wasn't the only difficult task anymore. I would never be able to let nice people like Usopp and Vivi down. But I was going to do it anyway. I had to. My thoughts wandered off to Cocoyashi Village. To Nojiko and Bellemere. _Bellemere_.

It started to rain just before I fell asleep. Normally I would have smiled after making a correct forecast, but the tears kept me from doing so. Homesick, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I overslept a little, and by the time I got to the breakfast room, behind the door in the back of the lobby, It was already half empty. I didn't have time to get a complete meal, so I grabbed an apple and sat down next to Usopp who was sitting at a table in the back. We were joined by the straw hat boy. The shirtless guy he had been talking to earlier suddenly fell asleep, face first into his plate of food. It had startled me, and even after Usopp told me about Ace's narcolepsy, I kept peeking over Luffy's shoulder to make sure he was okay.

Luffy, a black haired boy, complained about Ace –apparently they were brothers- while stealing food from Usopp's plate. It was impossible not to notice the way he shoveled the food into his mouth, so I guess Usopp simply chose to ignore him. He was busy studying my timetable, wich I'd found on my desk this morning. "Looks like we have biology together!" he said. "And you have history with Luffy." The boy looked up when he heard his name. His stare went from me to Usopp and back to me when his eyes grew wide.

I had to back up a little when Luffy sat up straight and pointed a finger at my face. "YOU'RE NEW HERE" I nearly fell of my chair when he yelled. "YOU MUST BE NAMI! I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE! LET'S BE FRIENDS!" He grinned widely and I nodded because I didn't really know what else to do.

Usopp recovered from the shock before I did. "Oh shit! We're late!" We jumped up simultaneously. The three of us were the only ones left. Even Ace had woken up and went to class. Usopp panicked and started running. I went after him, followed by Luffy, who was still cheering that we should be friends.

When we reached the main building Usopp went up the stairs. I wanted to follow him but Luffy stopped me. "We have history first!" he grabbed my wrist and led the way, still grinning.

I stopped running when we reached the classroom. Luffy, however, kept running and crashed into a table where a blond boy was sitting at. They both fell over and ended up on the floor in a pile of chairs. Luffy started laughing uncontrollably, running away from the blond who was now chasing him through the room. Some students were laughing, others were cheering for Luffy. The teacher didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Instead, the raven haired woman turned to me with a friendly smile. "You must be Nami." The students fell silent when they heard my name. I looked into the classroom. The blonde put the table back in place and sat down, with Luffy sitting next to him. All eyes on me.

"I'm Nico Robin, your history teacher," the woman continued. "Sorry for the chaos. Now, I believe we have one empty seat left. There, next to Zoro." I followed her gaze and found the empty chair, next to a green haired boy who was soundly asleep with his head on the table. It was all the way in the back of the room "All right." I took a step in the direction of the designated seat, only to be stopped by the teacher. "Just a moment." She crossed her arms.

I let out a small squeak when an arm appeared on the table in the back and slammed down on the surface. The table shook and several students gasped and looked over their shoulders. The boy was still asleep. Now that I think of it, he slept trough all the chaos from before.

"It's safe, go ahead." Nico Robin sounded relieved. _It's safe? What was that supposed to mean? _I went to sit down next to Zoro, slightly discouraged, when I remembered hearing his name. Vivi had told us that my meeting with the principal had been delayed because Zoro and Sanji were fighting. I looked at the boy next to me and noticed to my horror that he was extremely muscled. Silently wishing for him to stay asleep I turned my attention to the lesson. Ms. Nico was talking while several arms scribbled things on the blackboard behind her. Devil's fruit.

Before I knew it, the 'purupurupurupuru' of a den den mushi on the teacher's desk interrupted the lesson to tell us the class was over. I got up from my chair, thankful that Zoro had been asleep the whole time. I looked at my timetable. Biology.

As I entered the classroom, a notable guy was standing in front of the blackboard, staring at a complicated formula that was written on it. He looked too old to be a student. He looked too young to be a teacher. He looked like he hadn't slept in at least three years. I would've kept staring at him if Usopp didn't call my name. I sat down next to him, happy to see a familiar face. The guy in front of the blackboard sighed, ran a hand through his messy black hair and turned around. The class fell silent.

I saw his hands, with letters tattooed on his fingers, spelling out the word _'DEATH'_ on each hand. His gaze slowly went through the classroom until it found mine. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as his cold, piercing stare sent a shiver down my spine. "Nami." No one moved as he started talking. "What are you doing here?" "…W-what?" My voice was shaky. He sighed. "Principal Newgate wants to meet you. Go."

I didn't know how fast I got out of the room. It wasn't until I reached the end of the hallway that the temperature returned to normal. What a creep that was. When I calmed down I looked around, wondering where the principal's office was. I didn't feel like going back to ask for directions, so I decided to look for it myself.

It didn't take long before I saw the sign with the principal's name on a door. I didn't meet anyone on my way there, probably because it was still in the middle of the second period. I didn't get much further. While crossing the hallway, a loud crash disrupted the silence.

Before I was aware of the green-haired boy that came crashing through the wall he'd taken me with him through the next one. Pain filled my body as we hit the ground together. I lay in the rubble when my vision went black. Zoro's cursing was the last thing I heard.

**_A.N. _**_What a great way to start off pirate school._

_In this chapter some of the more important characters were introduced! Can you guess who everyone is? _

_What do you think of this chapter? Please leave a review! _

_I already have an idea for a story that I'm going to write after this one. I enjoy writing so much! The problem is that I don't really have a lot of time to write._

_English is not my native language, and I apologize for any grammatical errors! It takes a lot of time to write everything in Dutch and then translate it, so sometimes I over look small grammatical errors. I hope it doesn't bother you too much! ;)_


	3. Chapter 3: Getting suspicious

"….Might be planning on something. That merman pirate can't be trusted" The low pitched voice woke me up. I kept my eyes closed, however, as I figured this conversation could be important to hear. "The Arlong pirates are all evil and dangerous mermen. This girl doesn't fit in the picture." "Maybe that's why they sent her here, to toughen up." A second voice said. It sounded awfully familiar. "Besides, what could a single girl possibly do against this school?" The other person sighed. "Just keep an eye on her, all right? I'll ask Robin the same thing. Let me know if anything seems suspicious." The sound of footsteps and a door closing marked the end of the conversation.

_Great. _I hadn't even done anything yet, and I was already being watched. Now I had to be even more careful. I waited a few more minutes. I was wide awake, but if I got up now, the person who was still in the room would know that I eavesdropped a conversation that I shouldn't have heard. The only sound to indicate the person's presence, was the sound of paper flipping. Maybe he was reading a book? I also noticed a light snoring, further away. More people?

I remembered crashing through a wall, a flash of green hair –Zoro, probably- and the pain that spread through my body after hitting the ground in the next room. _Then… this was the infirmary? _A few minutes had passed and I decided it was safe to open my eyes. The room looked like a small hospital ward. I was lying in one of the beds. I quickly located the source of the snoring. Zoro and the blond-haired boy who had been in the same history class lay at the far end of the ward.

I turned my head to see the other side of the room. I found the man whose voice I had already recognized. I had actually hoped that he was the one who left earlier and I had to keep myself from letting out a very disappointed sigh.

The creepy biology teacher was sitting at a desk with his feet up on the table surface. He was flipping through the pages of what seemed to be a medical book. "So, how's your first day coming along?" He didn't look up from the book as he spoke. He sounded different from before. Not as cold. When I didn't answer, he put the book on the table and looked up.

"I don't believe I introduced myself." He stood up and moved to a chair next to my bed. "Trafalgar Law." Much to my surprise, he sounded rather friendly. He even _smiled_ when he noticed my confused look. "You're wondering why I'm acting different, right?" He said, reading my mind. "I just have to be strict as a teacher, especially-" "Oi, Trafalgar!" "-with _those two_ around." Law's face went from friendly to a mixture of annoyance and anger. "Just a sec, Nami-ya" _Nami-ya? Never heard that one before. _I didn't have time to think about it either, as Law stood up, turned around and started walking towards Zoro, who was sitting up straight in the bed at the far end of the room. "First of all, that's _doctor_ Trafalgar for you." Law's voice was calm. "Second, _what the hell is wrong with you?_" "I think you should ask the cook about that." Zoro yawned. "He's the one who started the whole thing." Law rolled his eyes "I don't care, just stop breaking down the entire school while fighting! You even made an innocent victim this time!" Zoro looked over Law's shoulder to find me sitting up in my bed. "Oi, sorry for that." He said in a way that wasn't very convincing. It was quiet for a moment.

"Just leave." Law eventually said. "Same goes for you, Sanji-ya." I looked over to the boy lying in the other bed. I didn't even notice him waking up, let alone the fact that he lit a cigarette. "Fine," Sanji said after slowly getting up. "let's go, marimo." Before he left he let his gaze go through the infirmary to find me, still sitting in bed. His eyes turned, much to my amazement, heart-shaped as he crossed the room in record time. "You must be Nami." He said, taking my hand and placing a kiss on it. I didn't really do anything about it as I was too stunned to think properly. "What brings such a beautiful lady to a place like- _woah!_" Sanji couldn't finish his sentence when Zoro grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and practically dragged him out of the infirmary, murmuring something about a 'stupid love-cook'. "We should have lunch together sometime!" was the last thing I hears Sanji say before Zoro shut the door behind them. Zoro and Sanji. Just like Vivi had said.

Law sighed and turned back to me. "Can you walk?" I nodded. My body was sore, especially my left shoulder and ribs, as I had hit the wall with that side. However, I could still move and I didn't want to stay here any longer. "I'd get out of here If I were you, before the old hag comes back." Law said, reading my mind again. _Either this guy has psychic abilities or my face is too easy to read. _I figured I should keep that in mind for future fruit-stealing actions. With that I got up. "What old hag?" I couldn't help but ask. "And you said you were a doctor?" "I'm a doctor, yes. Just not in charge of the infirmary. All I do is teach biology and do research, really." His gaze turned distant, staring at the wall behind me. I could swear I saw some sadness in his eyes. It made me wonder if something was wrong. I tried to suppress the thought immediately. Whatever it was, it didn't involve me. I had other things to worry about.

"dr. Kureha-ya is in charge here, but she's a real witch. You should avoid her as much as you can." Law shook his head as to wake himself up from his thoughts and turned around. "Pay a visit to the principal and take the rest of the day off," he said. He left without looking at me, leaving me alone in the now uncomfortably quiet infirmary.

I made my way through the rubble in the hallway, slightly paranoid about getting hit by a flying Zoro again. He had left a gaping hole in the wall to the right, and an even bigger one on the left side where, after Zoro had crashed in to me and took me with him, we had flown straight through the wall together. I was wondering how incredibly fast Zoro must have been flying to have shattered two walls, when said person came out of the principal's office with a rather euphoric look on his face. "So, not expelled then?" I said, letting the annoyance hear in my voice. I blamed him for the pain in my shoulder and ribs, and for being so inconsiderate about it. Zoro didn't seem to notice the tone of my voice. "Nope!" he said, walking towards me. I gasped when he gave me a pat on my hurt shoulder. "Again, sorry about before." His apology sounded a lot more sincere this time. Instead of walking down the hallway, Zoro left trough the smaller hole in the wall.

_Edward Newgate_

_Principal_

I stared at the sign on the door for a moment, taking a deep breath and wiping the annoyed look off my face. I raised my hand and knocked. "Come in," a voice from the other side of the room said, and I entered the office. The room was a lot smaller than I had expected. Bookcases covered the walls, which made the room look like a small library rather than an office. In the middle of the room stood a large desk with an even larger man sitting behind it. "Nami!" The principal said in a friendly voice. "Take a seat." I did as he said, sitting down on the chair in front of the desk.

I hoped my face wouldn't show how utterly shocked I was. I had already recognized the man's voice. The person who had been talking to Trafalgar Law in the infirmary when I had woken up. It was him. This meant that the principal himself suspected me to be here for a reason other than learning how to be a pirate.

"…Why is that?" Mr. Newgate asked. I realized I hadn't heard what he said through my thoughts. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that question?" "I asked for the reason Arlong sent you here," the principal said. "Are you sure you're all right? Maybe you should go back to the infirmary to-" "No, I'm fine!" I said putting up a smile as convincing as I could. "Arlong wanted me to become his navigator. I'm really good at drawing maps, you see. But that's the only thing I'm good at, and Arlong thought I needed to learn more about pirate life before joining him." I surprised myself by how good of a lie that was. Newgate's laughter, which seemed more like an earthquake, filled the room. "Arlong needs a navigator, eh?" He said. "How unlikely it is for him to pick out a girl like you!" I laughed with him, closely paying attention to his eyes. Those betrayed him. He was being friendly, but he didn't trust me at all. "Well then, welcome to Black Flag Academy! I hope you'll learn everything you'll need to know." With that, Edward Newgate stood up. "Maybe you should get some rest now, you look pale. As for the incident, something like that won't happen again. I hope." He shook his head, disappointment on his face with the thought of the fight that occurred earlier.

I left the office, I left the building and I headed straight for my room. Or, at least, I _wanted_ to head straight for my room. On my way there I ran into Ace, who had apparently set one of the trees that stood along the square on fire. He panicked and tried to extinguish the fire with a bucket of water he was holding. I much to my amazement, he lit the bucket on fire as well. _Devil's fruit powers. Definitely_. A boy that showed a striking resemblance with a pineapple just stood and watched with a poker face. The square was relatively empty, and the few students who had been watching at first continued their ways, as if something like this happened on a daily basis. I, however, got more worried with the second as my gaze went from Ace to the pineapple boy, to the flaming tree and back to Ace, not sure what to do. "MARCO, DO SOMETHING!" Ace yelled desperately. The pineapple boy sighed. "Fine, I'll get a teacher or something." He said. He left, walking in a pace that was way too calm for this situation. Then Ace saw me, watching the spectacle from a distance. "YOU! IT'S DANGEROUS! LEAVE!" He yelled. I didn't want to, but I did as he said. I felt really bad and, most of all, worried, for leaving Ace like this. The same thought I had had when I was talking to Law earlier made me suppress the urge to stay and help. _Not my problem. I have other things to worry about._

I got to my room without meeting anyone else. That wasn't strange, since it was still in the middle of a school day. I opened the door to the balcony for some fresh air and sat down at my desk. Setting all of the crazy happenings of the day out of my mind I stared at the empty sheet in front of me and tried to remember. I closed my eyes and saw the gates to the school ground, the square, the dorms, every corner of what I had seen of the main building so far, everything I had memorized from the moment I got here. I took a deep breath, opened my eyes and started drawing a map of the school. I was going to need it.

**A.N **_That's right. Marco looks like a pineapple. _

_The whole flaming tree thing is so random! The idea popped up in my mind and I just had to write it. :) This chapter took me forever and I still don't like it that much. It has a lot more dialogue than the previous ones, and that's difficult to write. _

_I probably won't be updating in a while because I have an exam week coming up. Damn you, school! *waves fist like a cranky old man*_

_Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Your reviews make me happy! :D I saw that people from the Netherlands read my story too! Hey daar, hoe gaat ie?_

_English is not my native language, and I apologize for any grammatical errors! It takes a lot of time to write everything in Dutch and then translate it, so sometimes I over look small grammatical errors. I hope it doesn't bother you too much! ;)_


	4. Chapter 4: Nakama

_Don't question it, just go with it._

Repeating this sentence in my head was the only way to keep myself from going crazy during the rest of the week. Just as I got used to Ace setting things on fire, Zoro and Sanji demolishing the school in yet another fight and Luffy eating more food than the rest of the students together – all of them being daily happenings -, more strange things and people kept surprising me. The mental code I made helped me keep my cool, however. It was important for me to blend in and not to draw attention. In order to do so, I tried to completely ignore the fact that, when I walked into my last class on Friday, I was greeted by a _skeleton_. I just smiled back at mr. Brook and sat down at one of the tables, perfectly hiding my inner scare. _Just go with it._

I assumed the music teaching skeleton was a devil's fruit user, like I did with anyone who showed unexplainable traits. I did notice the fact that this school counted a considerable amount of people with fruit powers, both teachers and students. And I was pretty sure there were more devil's fruit users than I knew about. The powers weren't always noticeable, since the teachers weren't allowed to use their powers on students and students weren't allowed to use their powers inside of the school buildings at all. These were safety measures. Most of the students took these rules very lightly, but the teachers didn't, and therefore they were my greatest worry as for now. I couldn't be sure if they had powers or not, because they didn't always show them. What if a teacher I tried to outsmart turned out to have mind reading powers or something? I couldn't be too careful. Even the principal, Edward Newgate, had powers. I hadn't seen them, but Usopp told me he had the power to generate earthquakes. Even though Usopp lied a lot, I believed him. He was honest most of the time, and Sanji had confirmed this story later on.

The 'purupurupurupuru' of the den den mushi dismissed the class soon enough, and left the room immediately. I was going to spent the afternoon with my… _nakama_. Apparently, when Luffy had pointed at my face and stated that 'we should be friends', he had been very serious. On top of that, with Luffy, I got Zoro, Sanji and Usopp for free. We were a group of five now, hanging out during breaks and after school hours, as if it never had been any different. I had to admit it came in handy, as I got to see more of the various school buildings, which was essential for completing the map I had been working on for the past few days. I only had classes in the main building, and sometimes in the laboratory for chemistry, physics and biology. The others had classes I didn't have, such as cooking, ship-builing and sword fighting. Because of them, I got to see more of the school.

As for now, I was headed to the gymnasium to pick up Zoro. It was one of the places I hadn't seen much of, and I wanted to be there early to have some time to look around.

The gymnasium stood directly at the square, on the right side as viewed from the gates. I only had to cross the square, past the remains of the burnt down tree, to get there. Much to my disappointment, Zoro was already waiting for me at the door.

"I figured you'd come to pick me up. _Again_." He sounded slightly irritated. "You'd get lost without me." I answered. I couldn't help but chuckle when I got a scowl in return. He knew it was the truth but never admitted the fact that he had the inner compass comparable to that of a kitchen shelf. I couldn't help but be amazed at the amount of times he had gotten himself lost in the last few days. I quickly learned that, as a precaution, no one ever let him go somewhere alone or let him lead the way. "Let's go, the others are probably waiting alreadyWOAH" Someone bumped in to me from behind, causing me to lose my balance and fall over. Zoro caught me before I hit the ground face first.

For a moment the time seemed to stop as my brain worked overtime. The green-haired boy was never really nice to me and, at first, he seemed to be the type of person to just let you crash to the ground and then laugh at you. But when situations like these occurred, he seemed to change out of nowhere, turning into a caring, reliable person. This was only with the people he cared about, however.

When Luffy had made me one of his nakama, Zoro had been the first one to totally accept it. It was a good thing, for no one dared to even think about bothering one of Zoro's friends, as he was feared by most of the other students. I remembered being afraid of him waking up during history class on my first day, after ms. Nico told me it was _safe_ to sit down next to him as long as he was still asleep. Now that I had him on my side, there was no reason to worry about that anymore. Same goes for Sanji.

"You all right?" Zoro's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, thanks." As I got up, protective Zoro disappeared as snow before the sun. He turned to the person who was still standing behind me, completely back to his usual self. "Bepo, what the hell?" "Sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry." The voice came from somewhere above my head, indicating that the person was tall. I turned around to meet the eyes of a… _polar bear?_ Before I could let out a 'huh?' the bear walked past me. I shook my head. _Don't question it, just go with it._

"Rude," Zoro said. I didn't answer. Instead, I started walking in the direction of the gates. Usopp had described the way to get to the meeting place. It was somewhere outside of the school grounds, near the lake that lay in the east of the valley. We followed one of the many unpaved forest paths that formed a network throughout the valley. It was kind of a maze, with the dense forest around us taking the rest of the world out of view. Just like when Usopp led me from the beach to the valley on the day of my arrival, the sunlight that fell through the roof of leaves created a fairylike atmosphere. It was one of the things I loved about this island, even though I hadn't seen much of it yet. Zoro didn't say anything and neither did I. We didn't have a lot of shared interest that gave us a subject to talk about anyway.

I didn't remember Usopp's directions entirely, but as we got closer we only had to follow the sound of Luffy's cheering. Before we knew it, we found Luffy, Usopp and Sanji waiting for us at the side of the lake. No one else was there, probably because it was quite a walk from the school grounds.

The lake was humongous. It hadn't seemed that big when I had looked over the valley for the first time. I could see the lake from my room's balcony as well, but not entirely. The surface was smooth as a mirror and reflected the sky above, creating the illusion of beautiful blue water. It was yet another breathtaking sight on this beautiful island.

I hated to admit it, but I really liked this island, and I hadn't even seen all of it yet. The thought of having to leave this place made me feel slightly melancholic. Just as I was about to get lost in a sea of thoughts, Sanji's voice brought me back to reality. "Nami-san! I have a lot of food that I made in cooking class today, would you like to try some?" My gaze let go of the lake and turned to the others instead. A picnic plaid lay draped out on the shore. Sanji was standing in front of me, with the same heart-shaped eyes and huge smile he always had when he talked to me. "Of course! Thanks!" I smiled and sat down next to Sanji. He was an amazing cook, and the fact that he always brought leftovers from class was reason enough to keep him as a friend.

Luffy, Usopp and Zoro joined us and soon enough the basket of food Sanji brought was completely empty. As expected, Luffy had eaten most of it. Now, we were talking about all kinds of things while laying on the plaid. Zoro had fallen asleep against a tree, Luffy kept laughing about something that I missed, but was apparently very funny, and Usopp told the most outrageous and unbelievable stories of adventures he had more than obiously made up. "And then, I beat up that cruel beast with my bare hands! Victory was mine and my crew of 8000 men was cheering for me: 'Captain Usopp is the strongest!'" Listening to them was very amusing, and I even found myself laughing along with Luffy a few times.

"Nami," Luffy turned to me, still with a wide grin on his face. "What is your dream?" "…dream?" The question came out of nowhere and I didn't immediately know what to answer. "Yeah, you know, your goal. Everyone has a goal right?" A goal? I turned my confused gaze to Sanji, silently asking for help. "I want to find All Blue," he said. His eyes seemed to light up at saying the name of the legendary sea. I couldn't help but smile back at him. Before Sanji could say anything else, Usopp jumped up, striking a pose like a statue of a war hero. "I'll become a great warrior of the sea! CAPTAIN USOPP!" Luffy's grin grew even wider at that and so did mine. Usopp's joy at yelling out his dream was undoubtedly contagious. "Greatest swordsman." A calm voice from under one of the trees made us turn our heads. I hadn't even noticed Zoro waking up. He was looking at me with a reassuring smile. He beamed confidence, which mixed in perfectly with the joy and made us all feel even better. Just when I thought things couldn't get better, Luffy jumped up. "I'M GONNA BE PIRATE KING!" he yelled in a way so that the whole island could hear. Even though I couldn't see it happen at all, the skinny straw hat boy becoming the most powerful man alive, I smiled just like everyone else. Then, Luffy reached out to me. The others turned silent. For a moment, I looked up at Luffy. When his grin grew even wider, I let go of the last strands of hesitation and insecurity that were still inside. I took his hand, jumped up and yelled. "I'M GOING TO DRAW A MAP OF THE WORLD!"

Luffy pulled me and Usopp in for a group hug. Sanji joined as well. Zoro seemed to hesitate for a second. He wasn't really fond of these kind of things, but after I threw a smile in his direction he sighed and joined as well. Laughter filled my ears and warmth filled my heart. I couldn't really believe it, but I was genuinely happy.

A voice in my head kept ringing. It kept cursing and blaming me for befriending these kind people only to use them in my advantage. I ignored it, pretending not to hear it over the laughter. This moment was the first time since I got to the island that I felt completely relaxed. The first time I was genuinely laughing. I hadn't been this happy in a very long time. My worries had completely faded at that moment, and I almost forgot the reason I was here in the first place. _Almost._

**_A.N. _**_Yay! Happy chapter!_

_I didn't think I would be publishing another chapter this week. I actually should be studying for the test week starting this monday, but I got inspired all of a sudden, I started writing and then this happened. Oh, well, I decided to publish it anyway, even though not a lot of things happen, because it's so happy and I love it! _

_speaking of happy, your reviews make me happy as well! please leave one! :D_

_English is not my native language, and I apologize for any grammatical errors! It takes a lot of time to write everything in Dutch and then translate it, so sometimes I over look small grammatical errors. I hope it doesn't bother you too much! ;)_


	5. Chapter 5: Teachers

I figured it was a good thing that the list of people to avoid in my head was not too long. principal Newgate was on there because I knew he didn't trust me. Trafalgar Law and Nico Robin knew he didn't. On top of that, Law was a strange guy and something told me that he trusted me even less than the principal did. Bepo, well... He was a polar bear. I had no idea how. I had no ideawhy. I figured I should ask Zoro about him, and hopefully I would be able to cross him off my list. The Devil's fruit powers that both Nico Robin and prinicpal Newgate posessed were another worry. If they found out my intentions, There was no way I would escape from them.

Most people in Black Flag Academy were nice to me. Teachers – _most_ teachers – were very friendly. I was even making friends! I talked to Vivi a lot, I had talked to Ace a few times and four random boys popped up out of nowhere and made me one of their nakama on the first day we met. I had to admit that Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp were great people to be around. I always had someone to sit next to in class which was nice, even when these people were either annoyingly hyperactive or asleep most of the time.

I put the lid back on the ink pot that sat on my desk. It was getting late and the sun was starting to set on this Saturday night, and I wouldn't be able to concentrate on drawing my map anymore when my head was filled with faces and names. I decided to go outside for a bit, before it would get completely dark outside.

I got up and gathered the papers that lay on my desk, making sure that I got every single one of them. I carefully stacked them and held them as I walked to the wardrobe. I opened the door and put the papers underneath a pile of clothes in the back of the wardrobe, so that they weren't visible anymore. It wasn't the greatest of hiding places, but as for now it was all I had. I couldn't leave the papers on my desk, in case someone would break in to my room. Even though that was very unlikely, I was still slightly paranoid of anyone finding out my intentions when they found the map.

After checking my room for any traces of maps, I grabbed my coat and made my way downstairs to the dorm's lobby. I was about to leave, when I froze in the doorway as I heard my name. "Oi, Nami!" I turned around and found Usopp, standing halfway up the stairs to the boy's wing. He quickly descended, almost tripping and falling down the last few steps, and made his way to me.

"We've been trying to find you all day!" he said. "Were you in your room? That explains why we couldn't find you. We're not allowed to come there, in the girl's wing, you know." "Yeah, I knew that." I didn't actually know that, but now that Usopp said so it seemed pretty obvious. "What's up?" I asked. Usopp got a smile on his face. "We want to go to the village tomorrow. You haven't been there before, right? You should come with us!" "Sure, why not?" I smiled back at him. This would be a great opportunity to get a survey of the northern area of the island as well. "All right then, we're meeting tomorrow morning at 11 down here. I'll see you then!" "All right, Bye!" Usopp went upstairs again and I turned around, opening the door. The cool evening breeze replaced the warm lobby as I stepped outside. I hated to admit it, but I was actually looking forward to the next day. As much as I told myself that this visit to the village was solely for map-drawing purposes, the idea of getting to spend time with my friends made me happy. I smiled as I called these people 'friends' in my head. _Nakama_.

* * *

The longer we walked, the more students joined us on one of the many forest paths. The single village in the north of the island was a apparently a very popular place to go during the weekend, especially on nice days like these. I didn't need to wear a coat, even though summer was ending, which only added to the great mood everyone seemed to be in. I stuck with a short-sleeved shirt, that perfectly covered up my tattoo.

With that thought I lost my smile for a moment. The skin on my upper arm, bearing the Jolly Roger of the Arlong pirates, seemed to burn. I didn't even have to hide it, as the people here knew I was one of them, but I was still ashamed of it. If only I could get rid of it. If only I didn't have to be- 'BAM!'

I stopped walking too late and ran face-first in to the wooden sign. "Ah, shit!" I rubbed my nose. How didn't I notice the giant sign when I was walking towards it? I looked up and read the painted words.

_Welcome to Noctis Village_

Noctis? Strange name. "YOSH, WE'RE HERE!" Luffy cheered. As we walked, the trees around us made place for buildings. I looked down when I noticed we weren't walking on the forest path anymore. Instead, we were strolling through wide streets paved in a light-colored stone. I looked around. Low buildings surrounded us, housing colorful shops and cute cafes. I noticed a small café with a shell-shaped sign hanging above the door. A small girl, standing in the doorway, waved at us and Luffy waved back. "Hi, Rika!" Zoro said. I looked at Usopp, who looked back and shrugged. Thinking that it wasn't that important, I asked question about something I had been wondering for a while. "Do the people here know about the school?" I asked. "Of course they do." Usopp answered. "They don't mind the school being here. And they won't tell the marines either, since the students bring in money." It seemed pretty logical. Even though the school couldn't be seen from the village, it should've been impossible to overlook if you lived here on the island.

"Let's go get food!" Luffy yelled. His walking turned in to dancing and soon enough Usopp joined him. Sanji was laughing, and so was I. There was no particular reason to be this happy, it seemed more like a natural thing. Like being happy was the most logical thing to do. I turned my head and saw that even Zoro had a smile on his face, which was a rare phenomenon.

The street was still crowded even though the students had spread through the Village. Girls were looking at shop windows, a salesman pulled a cart full of heavy-looking bags across the street and groups of friends were strolling or sitting on benches and chatting. It was all very lively and peaceful. Until we ran in to her.

"ZORO!"

Out of nowhere, an old lady came walking from across the street and punched Zoro in the face, causing him to fall over.

The entire street went quiet.

Students dropped whatever they were doing.

Everyone stared, sharing the same thought: What the hell just happened?

Zoro, too stunned to say anything, looked up at the lady. She was dressed like she was still in her 20's, wearing a crop top, skinny jeans and high heels. Her long gray hair fell in strands around her face. "WHY ARE YOU HERE? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING ME CLEAN THE INFIRMARY, REMEMBER?" "Oh, yeah, that's right, I forgot." Zoro wasn't as good of a liar as Usopp. "THERE'S A CONDITION TO NOT BEING EXPELLED, YOU MORON! DON'T THINK YOU CAN START A FIGHT AND THEN AVOID YOUR PUNISHMENT! COME WITH ME!" Zoro, again too stunned to say anything, got up and followed the woman. Halfway down the street he turned around and glanced at Sanji in a mixture of confusement and annoyance, silently asking the same question we all had in mind. "I put the blame on him." Sanji said, before lighting a cigarette.

Luffy's laughter broke the silence and soon enough the people in the street went back to what they had been doing. It was as if nothing happened. "That was dr. Kureha, right?" I asked. "Yeah, that's right," Sanji said, "how did you know? She wasn't in the infirmary when we were there." "Law told me." I remembered him saying she was 'a real witch' and that I should avoid her as much as possible. He hadn't been lying. In my mind, I added her to my people to avoid list.

The rest of the day went surprisingly well. We strolled through the streets together, but split up eventually, As Luffy and Sanji wanted food, Usopp needed materials for some kind of project he was doing, and I needed some more ink and paper for my map. The others knew I was a navigator, so I didn't have to worry about being suspicous. when I left the shop, I ran into ms. Nico. she smiled and greeted me, I waved as I walked past her and for a moment I doubted her unreliability. She was such a nice person. It was just because of what I heard the principal say to Law in the infirmary that I knew I couldn't trust her.

My thoughts went from my history teacher to my biology teacher as I saw Law standing at the corner of the street. I froze. The polar bear, Bepo, was standing next to him, talking to him about something I couldn't hear. He didn't even seem to notice Law's bored look. Did they know eachother? I remembered Zoro telling me about Bepo that morning, when I had asked. Even though they taught completely different subjects, biology and martial arts, I figured they had a few things in common. Neither of them seemed to mind if you adressed them with their first names. I didn't even know Bepo's last name. And it was weird to adress Law by his last name, as he wasn't much older than the students. If he was pissed, however, it was either dr. Trafalgar or a trip to the infirmary. I looked at Law, who looked even younger than he already had without the usual lab coat. He was wearing a fuzzy hat, and the rolled-up sleeves of his black and yellow hoodie exposed his tattooed arms.

Out of nowhere, Law turned his head and his gaze met mine. completely immobilized, I stared back. My eyes turned big. Time seemed to stop and the sounds from the crowded street became a soft background noise. Something in his annoyed gaze told me he knew I had been staring at him. Why was I even staring at him? His yellow eyes looked straight through mine, into my mind. It made me nervous. And somehow I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

"...mi? Hello? HELLO?" Luffy yelling into my ear and waving his hand in front of my face brought me back to reality. The sounds and voices from the street returned. Confused, I turned my head. "W-what? Luffy?" "Are you all right?" I blinked my eyes. I saw Luffy, and Usopp and Sanji standing behind him. "I, uh-" Their concerned looks made me even more confused than I already was. "Y-yeah, I'm fine!" I forced a smile. "I was just thinking about, you know, something." I saw Usopp and Sanji looking at each other, still concerned. "Are you sure?" Usopp asked. "You look pale." "No, really I'm fine!" I was lying and they knew it. "Maybe you should get something to eat." Sanji said. "Let's go back, I'll make you something in the school's kitchen." I had gotten really nautious, but I decided to just go with it. At least I wouldn't have to explain what was going on.

As much as I wanted to, I didn't look over my shoulder. I didn't really have to either, because I knew Law was still staring at me. I felt his eyes burning holes in my back.

* * *

I hadn't made it through my first day entirely, so this Monday would be the first complete Monday for me. I was going to have my first navigation lesson as well, because I only had navigation on Monday. Monday. Monday. I hate Monday. I had somehow managed to get up that morning, and with great effort I hadn't joined Zoro in his usual history nap. I hadn't payed attention during biology. The only thing I remembered was Law complaining about how no one would be able to pass the biology exam and that we were all way too stupid to be in this class. He was in a bad mood, but he never mentioned anything about the day before. Instead, he completely ignored me, wich was a relieve, yet slightly worrisome. I wasn't sure why, but I had a bad feeling about it. There had been some kind of tension in the air. I was the only one who had felt it.

I was standing in front the doorway to the classroom where I would have my first navigation lesson. A few students had already arrived and were chatting or flipping through the pages of their books. I wasn't sure if there was much for me left to learn, but at least navigation was something I enjoyed. I let my gaze go through the room. It was a standard classroom, but with all kinds of maps on the walls. A map of an island in the Grand Line caught my attention. It was very well drawn. I had to go there some day, if I was going to draw a map of the word. I also saw a strange looking compass-bracelet thingy on one of the display shelves. I had no idea what it was. Maybe I was going to learn some useful things after all.

"Excuse me." A familiar voice said. Realizing I had been blocking the doorway, I took a step into the classroom and turned around, only to get a very bad surprise. "Bepo? what are youdoing here?" I was so shocked to see the polar bear that I forgot how to be polite. The bear looked at me, blinked, and then turned his gaze down to the floor. "I'm sorry." What? I didnt even know what to say to that. "You're Nami, right?" Bepo said as he looked up again. "I guess you know my name already. I'm replacing the previous navigation teacher. He quit last week, but I'm not sure why. I actually teach martial arts, but I'm a navigator too, you see. I'm not sure if I can teach a skilled navigator like you anything new, though." He looked into the classroom. Some of the students that had already arrived had stopped talking and were now staring at us. "All right, I'll just sit down here." I pointed at an empty seat in front of the classroom. I smiled at Bepo before I made my way there, trying not to look shocked or, most of all, worried.

How? How did Bepo know I was a navigator? Did principal Newgate tell him? Or did principal Newgate tell Law and did Law tell Bepo? Just how many people have been informed about me? My train of thoughts made me more anxious with the second. Now there were four people who apparently knew more about me than they should. Two of them being Devil's fruit users, One a very creepy biology teacher, and one being a martial artist. At least I knew for sure that if I was found out before I stole the fruit and escaped, there was no way I was getting away. There was no way I would see Cocoyashi again. Shit.

It took all of the little concentration I had left, trying to act normal during the lesson. I somehow managed to answer all the questions without doing anything weird or suspicous while my thoughts and worries confused me to no end. The 'purupurupurupuru' of the den den mushi was the best thing I had heard all day. It took effort to stay calm and collected when I stood up, said goodbye to Bepo and walked out of the classroom. As much as I wanted to, I didn't run away in front of the other students in the hallway. I did have some free time for lunch break, so I wanted stay calm and try to find a quiet place to think.

After walking for a while, I found an empty hallway. I sighed, glad that I was finally alone. Or at least I thought I was. I noticed how the door to the history classroom was slightly opened. I held my breath. It was hard to hear, but there were voices coming from inside. I stood, not sure what to do. I wanted to go and find out who's voice I heard, but I was pretty sure that I could get in trouble if I was caught eavesdropping. My plan of not attracting too much attention hadn't been very succesful so far and I couldn't let it get any worse. However, this conversation could be interesting, especially if I was not supposed to hear it. I could get some more information about the school from this. giving in to my curiousity, I slowly and silently moved towards the door. The crack wasn't even big enough to look inside, but standing in front of it, I could clearly hear the conversation.

"...heard you're leaving tomorrow. Are you sure about this? it could get dangerous." Adrenaline rushed through my body as I recognized the voice of Nico Robin. By what she was saying, I figured it was an important conversation. "Yeah, I'm sure. I have no choice. I learned a lot, and you told me all you knew, so I guess I'm prepared." Was that... Vivi? What is she doing here? What are they talking about? "You can never be too careful," Nico Robin said. "Crocodile is a very dangerous-" I held my breath as she stopped talking mid-sentence. I was actually afraid they could hear my heart beat. The longer it was quiet, the more anxious I got. I couldn't run away. They would hear me and I wouldn't make it out of the hallway in time. Can I pretend I just got here?

Desperately trying to make up an excuse, I already knew it was too late. An arm appeared in the wall before me. To my horror, there was an eye in the palm of the hand.

"Nami," Nico Robin said. "Could you please come in?"

* * *

_**A.N.** *DUM DUM DUM* cliffhanger!_

_I HAVE DISCOVERED THE HORIZONTAL LINE THINGY! I'm so proud of myself :')_

_It's great to be back. I feel like I wrote this long chapter in record time, and I'm very happy about it too! A lot happened. Zoro got punched in the face by Kureha, which also happened in the anime. In my opinion, it was one of the best things of the Drum Island arc, so I just had to include it in Kureha's introduction! :) Law is being creepy again, Bepo knows more about Nami than she thought he did, and what's going on with Robin and Vivi?_

_I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review to tell me what you think, it makes me happy! :D_

_English is not my native language, and I apologize for any grammatical errors! It takes a lot of time to write everything in Dutch and then translate it, so sometimes I over look small grammatical errors. I hope it doesn't bother you too much! ;)_


	6. Chapter 6: Plans

"Nami," Nico Robin said. "Could you please come in?"

I froze. In a wave of panic, my mind started making countless of escape plans simultaneously. All of them lead to nothing.

I was still calculating my chances of getting away if I made a run for it, when my history teacher opened the door. ms. Nico's face was unreadable. She didn't say anything, but I understood there was no point in running away anymore. I swallowed nervously before stepping inside the classroom.

Vivi was sitting on one of the tables in front of the empty room. She looked at me with a strange expression on her face. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't. I had expected her to be angry with me, but she seemed more embarrassed now that I could see her face. She didn't look at me. Instead, she turned her gaze to the ground.

I heard ms. Nico closing the door behind me.

"Have a seat," she said. I did as she told me. I turned my gaze away from Vivi and looked at the ground as well, as my face went from pale to the bright red colour of embarrassment. _Did I really just get caught?_ I sat down on another table, next to the door. I didn't know why. Maybe I thought there was still a possibility to escape from this situation, even though there really wasn't.

Ms. Nico sat down on the chair in front of her desk and cleared her throat.

"Tell me, what did you hear from our conversation?"

I was still too embarrassed to look at her or Vivi. I answered with my eyes locked on the floor.

"Not much," I said carefully. "Something about some crocodile…"

"Do you know who he is?" ms. Nico asked, her voice still calm.

I finally found the courage to look up at her. She still had the same neutral expression on her face.

"No, I don't"

Ms. Nico turned to Vivi.

"Vivi, is it okay if I tell her? You're friends right?" she asked. "And I think Nami can keep a secret."

With that, she looked back to me. Her eyes were friendly. I wasn't sure if Nico Robin knew that last thing she said had a double meaning to it. I didn't get time to think about it, however, as Vivi finally started talking.

"You're right. Let me tell her," she said, shifting her position on the table so that she could look at me. "We're friends, so she has the right to know the truth."

When I looked at her, I saw that her expression had become friendly. Reassuring, even. _Isn't she mad at me? _

"Don't worry," Vivi said, as if she could read my mind. "You would've found out eventually." She shifted on the table again. Her gaze turned distant. "Now, where do I start…"

It was quiet for a moment as Vivi thought.

"Maybe you should start with telling her who you are," ms. Nico suggested.

_What? Is Vivi not who I think she is? _I looked from Vivi to ms. Nico. They were both looking at me now, which made me slightly uncomfortable. Just as I was getting more and more confused, Vivi had figured how she was going to explain all this and started talking.

"My name is Nefertari Vivi," she said. "I am the princess of Alabasta, a kingdom in the Grand Line."

I didn't even know what to think anymore.

"It's a great kingdom with a long history," she continued. "It has many beautiful cities inhabited by nice people. It has been in times of peace for very long now, But a man named Crocodile is trying to take over the country by setting up a civil war between the kingdom's royal army and the rebel army. He is a shichibukai, one of the seven warlords, but he is also the head of a criminal organization called Baroque Works. He has a plan to take over Alabasta. The problem is, that no one else knows of that plan, except for me and ms. Nico. The people of Alabasta even see him as a hero. No one suspects him."

Vivi's gaze was focused on something I couldn't see. She had a concerned look in her eyes. For as far as I understood her story, I figured she had reason enough to be worried. If Crocodile really was a shichibukai, Alabasta would be in great trouble. I knew Arlong had worked with a shichibukai before and I knew how dangerous they could be.

"What's going to happen to Alabasta?" I was genuinely worried and confused at the same time. Questions popped up in my mind one after another. _Vivi is from the Grand Line? And she's a princess? What's with this criminal organization she was talking about? What does Nico Robin have to do with this? _

With great difficulty, I kept myself from asking all those questions at the same time. I figured it was difficult for Vivi to talk about this. I didn't want to push her into telling me everything, especially if she didn't want to.

My gaze went from Vivi to ms. Nico and back to Vivi, who was staring at the ground and seemingly searching for words. She sighed.

"I made a plan. I'm going to infiltrate Baroque Works, and try to stop the organisation from the inside. It's the only way I can think of to prevent a civil war from breaking out."

Vivi looked at me again and from my expression she figured what I was thinking.

"I know it seems crazy to try and stop a shichibukai all by myself. Impossible, even. But I got a lot of help from ms. Nico. She was in Baroque works before, you know."

I turned my gaze to the history teacher. She stared back at me, giving me an almost apologetical look. I kept staring, silently asking for further explanation.

"It's true that I worked with Crocodile." Nico Robin said. "I need to find something, and he is searching for it too, so we came to an agreement. But things took a turn for the worst and I ended up fleeing from Alabasta, from Crocodile. And I ended up here. Vivi came to me, because I am the only one who could get her inside information."

"Thats why I'm here." Vivi added. "And tomorrow night I'm leaving for Whiskey Peak, on one of the first islands of the Grand Line. Ms. Nico told me everything she knows about Baroque Works and Crocodile, and by attending Black Flag Academy I learned a lot of useful skills as well. If my plan works, I will be able to save my country."

"Does principal Newgate know about this?" I asked.

I had so many questions, but I figured that this whole thing was none of my business in the first place. It was up to Vivi to decide what she wanted to tell me and what she wanted to keep to herself.

"He does." Vivi said. "When I came to this school I had already told him the reason. Actually, he tried to talk the idea out of my head, saying it's too dangerous. I never changed my mind, though."

A long silence followed. I wasn't sure whether to look at Vivi or at ms. Nico, so I just stared at the wall somewhere in between them. Along with all the questions I still had, something else had popped up in my mind, and it had mixed with the raging storm of thoughts going through my head. It had suddenly occurred to me that, no matter how good of a plan Vivi had, the idea of taking on a shichibukai was plain stupid. She was never going to be able to do something like that on her own. Not with help, either. I wasn't sure if I could say my thoughts out loud. If the principal hadn't been able to change Vivi's mind, then why would I be able to?

My thoughts got interrupted by Vivi clearing her throat. I looked up. Vivi was looking at ms. Nico hesitantly. The teacher didn't say anything. Instead, she smiled reassuringly at Vivi.

"Um, Nami..." Vivi turned to me, smiling carefully. "Will you be there to send me off?"

* * *

The rest of that day I wasn't able to concentrate. There was way too much going on right now, in my mind, but also in this school. There was a good possibility the teachers knew more about me than I thought they did, like Bepo. Was I being reckless? The only unusual and possibly suspicious things I had done so far included crashing through a wall, which hadn't even been my own fault. Perhaps I had been staring at Law for too long, that day I saw him in Noctis village. But how could he know what I was up to with that? Maybe because I was holding a bag full of ink and paper?

A few hours ago, I had been caught eavesdropping and I'd rolled right into something that was none of my business. Vivi's mission had been kept secret for a reason, and the more I thought about it, the more guilty I felt for finding out about it. I really didn't know if I should be glad to know about it either. Now that I did, I was really anxious about what was going to happen to her. I knew I wouldn't be able to talk the idea out of her head, however.

On the other hand, I wasn't sure how I would've reacted if she'd just be gone one morning. I didn't talk to Vivi as much as I did to Luffy and the others, but we did see each other every day. I would've wanted to know what was going on. If I would've found out about it, would it bother me? Would I be devastated, thinking I would've been able to stop her?

I avoided the people I knew as much as possible for the rest of the day. When I heard Usopp call me from behind I looked over my shoulder and ran away, which only added to my frustration. As much as I wanted to talk to him, I had bigger problems to worry about. At the end of the day, I was exhausted from over-thinking every little detail as I had made a change of plans.

There was not enough time. It seemed like I was getting more suspicious with every day I spent here at Black Flag Academy. So far it had been eight. I had also realized how vulnerable I was right now. I was on an unknown, far away island attending a school full of pirates. There were Devil's fruit users among them, even among the teachers. The principal himself had powers. I was looking for a fruit without knowing what it looked like. I had never seen a devil's fruit with my own eyes, and on top of that, they all looked different. The only clue I had was the swirly pattern that usually decorated the fruit.

If the teachers found out about my intentions I would be done for. _Cocoyashi_ would be done for. There would be no hope for me and my village. The original plan had been to steal the fruit and escape on a ship without anyone here finding out. The current plan was to steal the fruit as quickly as possible _before_ anyone found out. Because they would.

The biggest problem was that I still had no idea where the fruit was hidden. When I got to my room after school, I immediately closed the door, grabbed my maps from my wardrobe and laid them out carefully on my desk.

The whole map wasn't complete yet, and the parts that were didn't reveal anything to help me find what I was looking for. The main building's map was as good as completed. I had included everything. I sighed in frustration. I hadn't found any places where the fruit was likely to be hidden. I just didn't think it was somewhere in the village or the gym, as that was very illogical.

Sitting down, I studied the maps again and again, going over all of the places where a fruit could be hidden. It had to be in a place where it would stay preserved. A cooler. wasn't there one in the lab? I grabbed a smaller piece of paper from underneath the stack on my desk. It had a pretty detailed layout of the laboratory building on it. My eyes went over the walk-in cooler. It could be accessed from both the hallway and the laboratory where I had biology lessons. I'd seen Law go in there often to get something, but students weren't allowed. I had no idea what it looked like on the inside. The longer I looked at the empty space on the paper, the more it seemed like a massive blind spot.

Another possibility was the infirmary in the main building. I had only been there once, and I had left as soon as I could. On the main building's map, it was the only room that was roughly scribbled on the paper. It was where doctor Kureha spent most of her time - thank god I had only ran into her once -, And Law was there often outside of school hours. When we first met in the infirmary, he mentioned something about doing research. Were the doctors researching the fruit?

More questions that I needed answers to. I had to see the infirmary in the main building and the cooler at the lab. I wouldn't have lessons in the lab the next day and, unless a certain someone would take me flying through a wall again, I couldn't visit the infirmary without getting even more suspicious. I needed to go see those places after school hours. As soon as possible. _Tonight, maybe? _

I stood up and opened the door to the balcony. It was late in the afternoon, still completely light outside. Looking down, I saw students walking over the school grounds. At night they would be gone. It would be dark and completely quiet. It wouldn't be my first time sneaking around, using the night as a cover. I had done that countless of times, breaking into houses or quietly boarding ships and stealing valuable things. But this time there would be a lot at stake. Even if I wouldn't be able to steal anything from a ship or house, I would've been able to escape. Now I couldn't. I was on a remote island, with nowhere to run, surrounded by dangerous people.

It seemed like the most risky thing I could do in my current situation, but on the other hand, it seemed like this was my only option. It was only a matter of time before anyone found out, and I wanted to be on a ship on my way home when they did.

* * *

I stepped outside and closed the emergency exit as quietly as I could. For safety purposes, it could only be opened from inside, so I had to break back into the Dorms when I got back. I shuddered. My black shirt and trousers didn't keep me warm at all, but they were the only clothes I had for now. After making sure there was no one around, I started walking. Slowly, in the shadows of the buildings where the moonlight couldn't reach me, I made my way to the main building of the school.

Just like I had figured it was very quiet and very dark outside. I wouldn't be seen easily, but if I made a noise I'd be in trouble. The main building loomed from the darkness as I got closer. It looked even bigger than it did during the day. Kind of like a haunted mansion, abandoned and scary.

There was no way I was picking the lock of the massive front door. If there was one way to get caught, that would be it. I snuck around the building, towards one of the windows on the right side. Again, they were supposed to be opened from the inside, but there wasn't a lock on them. I should be able to open them without leaving visible damage or making too much noise. I took one of my small metal lock picking tools from my right pocket and tried to force it into the seam between the window and the frame. I kept looking over my shoulders, terrified of getting caught. My hands were shaking, but the mixture of fear and adrenaline that rushed through my veins made me alert. I seemed to hear, see and feel everything around me.

With a small squeak, the window moved slightly upwards. I could put my fingers underneath it, pushing it open. I looked over my shoulder once more. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. _I'm only going to take notes for my map. I'm not going to steal anything yet. _Was I? I wasn't sure what I would do if I would accidentally found the fruit. It seemed so unlikely.

Carefully, I climbed through the window, which led to a classroom I hadn't been before. I looked around. There was nothing on the walls, and the seats and tables were perfectly arranged, as if they had never been used. When I noticed that all the shelves were empty too, I figured it was an unused classroom. The door was right ahead of me, so I wasted no more time thinking about it.

The infirmary was on the first floor, so I didn't need to climb stairs. That was a relieve. The sooner I could get there, The sooner I could leave, reducing the chances of being caught. I didn't even _want_ to stay here for too long. It was strange to walk around the school in the dark. It was really empty without the noisy students walking around. It was so dark that I couldn't see the ends of the long hallways. It gave me chills.

To my surprise, I noticed that the doors to the infirmary were open. It made me cautious. Was someone there? Or did they just leave the door open when they left? I stood behind one of the doors, peeking around it into the infirmary. It was dark like the rest of the school. I held my breath and listened. Nothing. The place appeared to be empty.

I took a few steps into the room. I focused, trying to see as much as I could in the dark. I suddenly felt really cold, like the temperature in the room had dropped. Was it just my imagination? I grabbed a piece of paper that I had tucked underneath my shirt, and took a pencil from my pocket.

Quickly scribbling down as much as I could, I wasn't aware of the watchful eyes that followed my movements in the dark.

* * *

_**A.N.** Is that... a new chapter?_

_For the first time in forever~ _

_Now we all have a Frozen song stuck in our heads. Thank me later._

_FanFiction's doc manager decided to mess up my dialogue style. But hey, it still looks pretty good. This was a loooooong chapter and it took forever to write. I'm having such a hard time continuing this story. But I will finish it (and then maybe rewrite it because I still think it sucks) ^_^_

_Who would have thought Vivi was actually a princess? (Plot twist, hehe :3) And is someone in the school at night, watching Nami? The next chapter will be a little less boring (I hope). I'm already working on it!_

_If you are reading this story, please consider leaving a review. I appreciate it, and it really helps a lot c:_

_English is not my native language, and I apologize for any grammatical errors! It takes a lot of time to write everything in Dutch and then translate it, so sometimes I over look small grammatical errors. I hope it doesn't bother you too much! ;)_


	7. Chapter 7: Powerful

The cooler was _locked_.

"Damn fridge." I muttered as I softly kicked the door.

The laboratory was just as dark and empty as the main building. I had managed to break in through a window again, because I hadn't planned on unlocking any doors. I wouldn't be able to lock them again and then 'they' would know that someone had broken in, after they'd find a door unlocked in the morning. It was the same for the cooler's door. Even though the lock seemed so easy to pick and therefore so tempting, I couldn't open it right now.

I let go of a very disappointed sigh. Looking around for what seemed like the hundredth time to make sure no one was there, I turned around and sat down on the floor against the cooler's door. I had to think. Many questions whirled around in my head. _Why is the cooler locked? _Was it to prevent people from stealing dead frogs that were used for dissection? Or was it to keep people from getting their hands on a certain fruit? Was that what I was looking for behind this door? If it was, I could break in right now, get the fruit and make a run for it. But I didn't have an escape plan yet. I would have to get off Black Flag Island on a ship. Therefore, I needed a ship. And I didn't have one. Could I find one? Maybe in the small harbour of Noctis' Village? It was on the other side of the island, over the high grounds surrounding the valley that made it appear like an inside-out fish tank, like Usopp had called it. I smiled at that memory. I hadn't been there before, but I knew where the path to the harbour began.

I shook my head. I wasn't even sure _if_ the fruit was behind this door. I didn't have an escape plan, and on top of all that I still had mixed feelings when it came to leaving Luffy and the others behind.

Sighing again, I decided not to break in the cooler. Or at least not tonight. I wasn't ready. I needed to determine the exact location of the fruit, which was most likely _in this cooler_, as the infirmary hadn't seemed to have any hiding spots. There was a small storage room for medical supplies, but why would they keep the fruit hidden there? It wouldn't stay preserved.

I also needed some preparation. A proper escape plan was necessary in my current situation. As for now, I figured the night would end soon. It was still summer and the sun would rise early. I had to get back, maybe get a few hours of sleep and prepare for school.

As quietly as possible I made my way back to the window I had opened to break in, which was ironically next to the main entrance, and climbed back out. I was truly grateful for the fact that I hadn't been caught, or at least not yet. Going back to the dorms was a lot less risky than the first part of my nightly escapade had been, though. If I got caught now, it was easier to make up an excuse for being outside in the middle of the night than for being inside a school building.

Not that I needed to. I reached the dorms behind the school's main building without a sound.

_New problem._ My room was on the third floor. I had to get there somehow. Again, I wasn't going to break into any doors. Unlike the school buildings, the dorms were full of sleeping students. I couldn't just open a window on the first floor and climb into someone's room. _A tree? _The trees grew close to the right side of the building, where the school grounds ended and the forest began. There was a high fence between them, but that one was easy to climb over.

I found a large tree. It grew wide enough, but not high enough for me to reach my room's balcony. I could reach the one underneath if I jumped from one of the long branches, and climb up from there.

I took a deep breath. _Time to prove my reputation as the cat burglar._

The fence was no problem at all. The tree wasn't either. Before I knew it, I was slowly crawling over the longest branch of the tree that grew in the direction of the balcony. It looked sturdy, but got thinner towards the end and I wasn't sure how far I could go before it would break. I moved, inch by inch, careful not to lose my balance, until I heard the branch creak dangerously. It made me sick.

Why was I so nervous? It wasn't until I got up into a crouching position that I noticed how much I was shaking. This position was a lot higher up than it had looked from the ground, and the distance to the balcony was a lot bigger that it had seemed at first glance. Was this really a good idea? No, it definitely wasn't. But it was my only idea. _Come on Nami, you can do this._

I jumped. Not far enough.

I barely managed to grab the balcony railing, forcing myself to keep down a frightened yelp. With my feet dangling under me, I looked down. _Shit, I could've broken my legs!_

Letting out a shivering breath that I didn't know I had been holding, I pulled up my feet and braced them against the the balcony floor, so that I could pull myself up with great effort. A gash ran over my elbow where I had hit the railing, and it began to sting almost immediately. With a sigh of relief, I let myself fall over the railing and onto the balcony.

I got up and peeked at the window of the room that wasn't mine. The curtains were closed and the lights were off. Had anyone heard me? I had no idea how noisy I had been, too busy trying not to fall.

Nothing happened, and after about a minute I finally gathered the courage to start moving again. Whoever was inside that room must have been a heavy sleeper, and as much as I wanted to get on my knees and thank the stars for this fact, I had to keep moving. I carefully put my feet up on the railing and rose quickly to grab the bottom of the balcony above my head before I even had the chance of losing my balance. This time, I had to twist my body in a very unnatural and slightly painful way to put my feet against the wall, allowing myself to pull my body up and grab the railing.

By the time I was standing in front of my own room, I was exhausted. Upon further examination I found that the gash on my arm was not too deep. A thin trail of blood ran down to my hand, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I opened the door to my room and stepped inside. I needed something to wrap around my arm. I took a step in the direction of my of the wardrobe to grab an old shirt when suddenly, I heard something.

Something behind me. I turned around.

A hand covered my mouth before I could scream. Thinking fast, I made my hand into a fist and aimed for the persons face. I could barely see in the dark. I missed.

The dark silhouette wrapped his free arm around my upper body to keep me from attacking a second time. I struggled, trying to break free from his grasp.

Overwhelming panic rushed through my veins. It took over my thoughts as I felt my body grow weaker. This person was strong. Way stronger than me.

_No._

Practically forcing my fear into adrenaline, I acted on instinct. Biting the person's hand, caused him to yell out and let go of me.

"HELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I fell on the floor. Someone had to hear me. I didn't care who it was.

"Nami," my attacker hissed. "Shut up, it's me!"

I froze at hearing the awfully familiar voice. I stared at the dark, unrecognisable silhouette, as he moved towards my desk. The dull sound of something landing on the balcony behind me disrupted the silence as suddenly as it had come. Another person.

"You idiot," Zoro said as the lit the small lamp that sat on my desk. "Don't just scream like that."

As soon as I saw his face I somehow remembered how to breathe again. I wasn't relieved, though. As much as I wanted it to, the familiar face did nothing to help me calm down.

"Stupid marimo!" The person behind me hissed. "She only screamed because you scared her to death!" An arm wrapped around my shoulders and gently pulled me up to my feet. I turned my head and looked straight into Sanji's visible, bright blue eye. "Nami-san, are you alright?" He was genuinely worried. He then noticed my arm and the blood running down from it. "Shit, Nami, what happened?"

I stared at Sanji, wide-eyed. Even if I had wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to form a coherent answer. I was everything but alright. I kept quiet, silently begging for him to suddenly disappear.

"You should sit down," Sanji continued. "You're shaking."

He carefully guided me to the couch where I sheepishly sat down like he had told me to.

"Nami, that was awesome!" Luffy chuckled as his head appeared above the railing of my balcony. "I didn't know you could climb like that! Like a cat!"

The boy threw himself over the railing single-handedly, holding on to his signature hat with his free hand. His upper body immediately disappeared back over the railing, as he reached out to something I couldn't see. I just looked at him, still shaking and gaping like a fish. _If Luffy is here, then... _Usopp appeared as he climbed onto the balcony as well, with Luffy's help. There, the crew was complete.

Just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, there was a knock on the door.

"Hello?" a girl's voice asked from behind the door. "I heard screaming. Is everything all right?"

Luffy stopped smiling. Usopp froze. Zoro shot a murderous glare in my direction.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine!" I managed to say. "There was a spider in my room and it scared me for a second but I killed it."

_Such a bad excuse_.

"...Okay," the girl said. She didn't sound very convinced. "Anyway, please try not to wake anyone up next time." The footsteps slowly faded.

* * *

It had taken me a minute to calm down. Or at least stop shaking. The fact that my friends were here in my room gave me mixed feelings. Just how much had they seen?

Sanji was sitting next to me on the couch. He had his arm wrapped around my shoulder. As much as I wished he wasn't there, the gesture was strangely comforting. Zoro lay sprawled over my bed with his eyes closed, and Luffy and Usopp sat on the edge next to him. Normally I would've kicked them off. An old shirt was wrapped around my arm, but I didn't remember how it got there.

Usopp interrupted the silence by clearing his throat. "We, uhm," he began. He stared at the ground and scratched his neck nervously as he searched for words. "You were acting so weird today. You've been avoiding us and when I finally ran into you, you walked the other way without even saying anything. We wanted to know what's going on, but you went to your room right after school and we aren't allowed to enter the girl's wing so we couldn't go and see you. We really wanted to, though, and we eventually decided to climb to your balcony at night when no one would be able to see us. We really didn't mean to scare you like that."

"Nami-san," Sanji added. "You know you can tell us when something's wrong, right?"

_If only I could_. I looked at him. It's not like I didn't want to tell them what was wrong. Preferably, I'd spill everything.

I felt so stupid. These people surrounding me cared about me. They trusted me and truly believed I was a good person. So far, I had only used them to my own advantage. I had lost count on how many people I had used for my own good long ago. I'd never felt bad about it. Until now. Why would this be any different? Why was I so weak when it came to these four boys?

Instead of answering, I averted my gaze from Sanji to my hands on my lap. I still failed to hold them still. What did I have to do? What was I going to tell them?

"Why were you outside, anyway?" Luffy suddenly asked. Usopp's eyes grew wide. Sanji shot an indignant look at Luffy. Zoro didn't move or even open his eyes, but I noticed how he furrowed his brows. As if they knew I wasn't ready for this question. I opened my mouth. Staying silent would only make things worse now.

"I... Uh..." Everyone, except for Zoro, turned to look at me as I spoke. "I was... Doing research." I scared myself by how close to the truth that was.

"The fruit?" Luffy asked.

"YOU KNOW?"

I jumped up so quickly that Sanji nearly fell of the couch. Usopp _did_ fall over, startled by my yelling.

"Yeah," Luffy said, unaffected by my sudden outburst. "The rumour has been going around for quite some time now! I heard it from Ace a few days ago."

"But do you really think there's a Devil's fruit hidden somewhere in the school?" Sanji asked skeptically. "It's just a rumour, after all."

"But it'd be awesome, right?" Luffy grew a wide grin. "I wanna have powers too! Like Ace!"

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," Usopp said. He was sitting on the floor now. "Rumours like these are often made up."

"Then why would Nami go look for it?"

They looked at me. _Shit._

I had to answer. Something. Anything. I looked from Usopp to Luffy, to Sanji and back to Usopp. All three were staring at me in anticipation now.

"I, uh, I went to look for it," I started, still contemplating possible lies. Or maybe the truth was a better option? "But I didn't find anything. Usopp's right, the rumour's probably made up."

I couldn't help but feel bad as I saw Luffy's face go from excited to disappointed. Sanji shrugged. The tension left the room as I relaxed and sat back down again. _Wow, these people are easy to convin-_

I that's when I locked eyes with Zoro.

I hadn't even noticed him looking before, but now his sharp gaze saw straight through mine. He knew I was hiding something. And I could tell.

I couldn't bring myself to look away. It only made things worse, but his glare had me paralyzed. I didn't even notice Sanji standing up until he put a hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. when I finally managed to look away from Zoro, I turned to look at the blond instead.

"We have to go. The sun will rise in about two hours," he said as he smiled at me reassuringly. "It might be a little too late, but you should try to get some sleep. We'll see you tomorrow. "

With that, the rest of the company got up as well. "Bye, Nami! I'm glad you're okay!" Usopp said as he followed Sanji onto the balcony. They disappeared over the railing just as quickly as they had appeared earlier. Zoro followed, but not before he looked at me over his shoulder once more. I pretended not to notice.

Luffy didn't leave right away. He stood in front of me as his grin turned into a small but honest smile.

"Hey, Nami," he said. "You're safe here. With us. You know that, right?"

My eyes grew wide. Again. His voice was soft. I had never seen Luffy like this before, with his eyes concerned but his smile reassuring. He had probably noticed how nervous I had been the entire time we had talked. I had a tendency to forget he was a lot smarter than he sometimes seemed.

"Y-yeah," was all I said. I smiled back at him. I didn't want him to worry about me. I refused to admit, even to myself, that he, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji _did_ make me feel safe. They somehow created the illusion that I wasn't alone, even though I knew was.

And, in this moment, the fact that Luffy cared, that _they_ cared, could not have been more real.

"All right," Luffy said as he turned around. "I'll see you tomorrow! Don't avoid us, okay?" He went outside and closed the door behind him.

_Should I...?_

He had already swung one leg over the railing, when I got up and rushed to open the door again.

"Wait."

Luffy looked at me, curious why I had followed him outside. He didn't say anything and neither did I. I took a deep breath, fully aware of what I was getting myself into. Growing attached to others was very, very counterproductive when it came to my original plan.

"Thank you," I finally murmured. I meant what I said, and I hated myself for it.

Luffy didn't say anything. He just smiled his honest smile as he threw himself over the railing of my balcony.

After closing the door behind me, I sat down on my bed. My vision went blurry through the tears in my eyes. I was weak. So incredibly weak.

* * *

"Shit."

I nearly tripped while running across the paved square to the laboratory.

"Shit shit shit."

Biology class had already started. Of course I had overslept on a day that started with my least favourite subject, taught by my least favourite teacher. When I got there, I noticed how the door was still open. Peeking through the window, I saw Law writing something on the blackboard with his back turned towards the class.

The door was opened far enough for me to slip through.

"So, human and animal cells do not have cell walls..." Law said as he wrote some more.

The students, including Usopp, did notice me when I quietly made my way inside.

"That's how you can distinguish them from plant cells..."

I noticed Usopp having a quiet heart attack as I slowly moved around with my back against the wall.

"Some of the organelles include..."

I was so grateful the other students kept quiet as they stared at me.

"Mitochondria were originally bacteria..."

_Almost there._

"They provide the energy the cells need to..."

_Almost-_

"Sit down, Nami-ya."

_Dammit._

I looked up. Law couldn't have seen me with his back turned towards the class. Had he heard me? When he continued his writing, I let go of a defeated sigh and moved the last few meters towards mine and Usopp's shared desk, pretending not to notice the stares, the whispers and the giggles. As I sat down, Usopp, who was still in awe of what had just happened, gave me a questioning look. I shook my head. _Later. _

I ended up staring at some piece of red string that dangled from behind the teacher's desk for the rest of the hour. I couldn't see the other end, and trying to figure out where it lead to was a lot easier than paying attention in my current, sleep-deprived state.

Fortunately, Tuesday was a very short school day. By the time I walked out of my final class, I felt even worse than I had when I woke up that morning. After stretching out, I made my way outside and to the gym, where I was supposed to meet the others. Zoro would probably be done with his training by now, and we planned to go and get some food in the village together. I really wanted to go to my room, sleep some more and work on my escape plan, but I figured it had to wait. Not that I would've admitted it back then, but I didn't mind spending time with my nakama anyway.

Behind the entrance of the gym was a hallway, that was completely empty by the time I arrived. The doors across from the entrance led to the main sports hall. The actual gym was on the left side, and on the right side there were changing rooms. I had no idea where Luffy and the others were. Or maybe I was the first one to arrive?

"What was that, moss brain?"

_Sports hall it is. _

"You heard me, Curly."

I was greeted by Zoro's smug grin as I entered the hall. He had one sword in each hand, and a third one tucked in his green haramaki. He was surrounded by dummies and what seemed to be _remains_ of dummies, all cut into pieces.

"You know what? I guess you're right for once, marimo."

I spotted Sanji quickly enough. He was staring at Zoro from his spot on the stands along the same wall the door was in, with Luffy and Usopp sitting next to him. I was still standing in the doorway, and they hadn't noticed me yet.

"I don't train because I don't need to. I could still kick your ass to Raftel and back if I wanted to."

"Give it a try."

_Goosebumps. _The sudden tension in the air was almost tangible as Sanji descended the stairs. I noticed both Usopp and Luffy looking from Sanji to Zoro and back to Sanji as if they were watching a tennis match. Even they were unusually quiet.

Without further warning, Sanji tucked his hands in his pockets and kicked the nearest intact dummy, sending it flying in in Zoro's direction at incredible speed. The other easily dodged it. The dummy crashed into the wall behind him, where it _stayed_.

Gaping like a fish, I heard Usopp's yelp drown in Luffy's cheering. Zoro's grin turned into a malevolent smile as he practically launched himself in Sanji's direction. The blond barely managed to avoid the swinging blades. He turned around and watched in amusement as Zoro realised he was going too fast to stop. He braced himself too late and both swords disappeared into the wall.

_Did he just- _

With a low growl, Zoro took a firm hold of both swords as he violently turned himself around. He cut straight through the wall. _He just cut straight through the wall. _

Big chunks of brickwork came loose from the building and rained down around the swordsman. I stared in awe. Luffy was quiet now. Sanji chuckled.

"Thanks, marimo," he said. "Exactly what I needed."

He took an insanely fast sprint, moving around the mess. I think I realised what he was doing at the exact same time as Zoro did. He cursed and made a run for it as Sanji reached a large piece of wall. The speed he sent it flying with left no other option for Zoro than to throw himself down to the floor. That was it. That was the force he had kicked Zoro through two walls with, back on my first day.

Asides from being scared, I couldn't help but be intrigued by Sanji's unique fighting style. He still had his hands tucked inside his pockets, but he somehow managed to stay balanced. It was a very powerful fighting style, but also graceful. Like Zoro's, but in a different way.

I let out a terrified yelp.

"Oi, Nami!" Luffy yelled. "You're finally here!"

I didn't answer. Sanji had found another big chunk of the wall. Zoro didn't have much time to get back up again as the blond kicked it in his direction. He managed to dodge it in time, though, getting out of it's way by performing a roll.

Now the only thing left in the brickwork its path was me.

I froze and screamed at the same time Usopp did. Zoro looked over his shoulder and cursed. Luffy yelled my name.

My life had already begun to flash in front of my eyes, when the flying wall hit the doors behind me.

_W-what?_

Had it gone straight through me? that was impossible! I noticed a small, perfect cube of brick laying at my feet. The wall had… fallen apart? Where was the rest of it?

I turned my head to look over my shoulder, but I didn't find what I was looking for. Instead, I found Law lowering his arm and taking a step forward to stand next to me, the sound deafening in the sudden silence.

He was carrying a giant sword over his shoulder, decorated with white crosses on the sheath. Some red string was wound around it. I wasn't the only one who was too stunned to say anything when Law's gaze went through the hall. He took his time to look at the faces in the room. All of them, except mine.

"The four of you are going to clean this-" He gestured to the mess in the sports hall and pointed over his shoulder, where more perfect brick cubes lay on the floor, "up. all of it. I don't care how."

Zoro and Sanji shared a look.

Luffy jumped up from his seat to protest. "But-"

"And Longnose-ya," Law interrupted as he threw a book I hadn't realised he had been holding in Usopp's direction, who barely caught it before it hit him in the stomach. He had to take a step backwards to keep himself from falling over. "Forget your textbook one more time and you won't pass biology. Got it?"

Usopp just nodded.

"Nami-ya," Law finally turned to look at me. "You're coming with me. The principal wants to see you."

I froze_._ Cold anxiety rushed through my veins and into my head.

Had someone seen me the previous night? Did they know? Did _Law_ know?

"Nami-ya," the teacher repeated. I met Luffy's questioning eyes before I turned around and followed Law to the door. He raised his hand to point at the wall-blocks that still lay there. With a single motion of his arm he sent them flying across the room, clearing the way for us. I kept looking ahead of me as we walked out the door and pretended not to notice how Law studied my face. Trying to keep it as straight as possible was difficult, as it finally dawned on me.

Law was showing off his powers, his _Devil's Fruit powers_, not only to save me but to get a reaction from me. As if it was a warning. I noticed a fading blue glow that surrounded us. _Why? Why now of all times?_

* * *

"What does the principal want to see me about?" I asked innocently.

"I don't know," Law responded, not even trying to hide the annoyance in his tone. He was walking a few meters ahead of me through the hallways of the main school building. It was a death row walk. They knew. I had somehow messed up and blown my own cover. I still didn't know exactly how, but why else would principal Newgate want to see me? Why else would Law have to get this serious all of a sudden?

"Why not?" I tried, doing my best to hide my nervousness. He was lying. there was no way he was being left out on this. Out of nowhere, Law stopped walking and turned around to face me. He practically forced me to stop moving as well, as he stood right in front of me, staring me down. If looks could kill I would have been long dead.

"Because _apparently_ it's none of my fucking business," He snapped. I stood, frozen in place, unable to break eye contact. I'd definitely noticed how he struggled not to raise his voice. Law was scary when he lost his cool. I had only seen it during biology class a few times, but it had never been directed towards me.

There was a change in his expression. The look in his eyes went from annoyed to frustrated, even if it was for less than a second. He recovered by looking away, leaving me wondering if I had imagined it or not.

Without saying anything else, Law turned around and proceeded to walk the last few meters towards the doors to the principal's office. I followed. There was no reason to try and escape. He knocked on the door, and a familiar voice invited me to come in from the other side. Law opened it for me. I looked up at him, but he kept staring at a point in front of him with a now unreadable face. I sighed and entered the office. He didn't follow me inside. Instead, he closed the doors behind me, leaving me alone with principal Newgate in the room.

The principal was sitting behind his desk that was way too small for him and gestured to a chair in front of it. I sat down.

"Nami," he began. "I think you know why you're here."

I tried so hard to control my shaking body as I stared at my knees. Well, what was the point? This is was the end of my plans. The end of my struggle to find the hidden fruit. _The end of Cocoyashi_.

"Yesterday, you learned about Nefertari Vivi's intentions," the principal continued. "How do you feel about her plan to save her country?"

My mind went blank.

"W-what?" I had no awareness of the words my mouth were forming. "I-I don't- what?"

"Is everything all right?" he asked. _This can't be happening._

"Y-yes." _This can't be fucking happening._

"Then tell me what you think about Vivi's plan," the principal continued. "She's leaving tonight."

I took a deep breath and looked up at the man in front of me. So my cover hadn't been blown after all. The longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to jump up in relief. I had to try my hardest not to, it would ruin everything now.

"At first I was shocked." The words began to spill. "The thought of going up against a shichibukai sounds ridiculous after all. But I trust Vivi. She's strong and smart and I'm sure she'll find a way to restore the peace in Alabasta. I think we should have faith in her." That was the truth. I felt nothing but respect towards the princess. It was a ridiculous plan, but I knew she could somehow do it. Maybe because the whole thing felt familiar? Why did it feel familiar? Now that I thought about it, it felt like I had heard about the whole thing before.

Principal Newgate hummed. "I think that's the only thing we can do for now. I tried to talk the idea out of her head, you know. She's very headstrong about the whole thing. If we can't stop her, we must support her. I tried to, at least."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I can't support Vivi. You may see her as brave, but I see a very young girl with a severe lack of knowledge and experience to carry out a plan like this. It's very difficult for me to let her go."

I looked away. His words made sense.

"She needs someone to be there for her. I can't, but you and your friends can." the principal continued. "Vivi will leave at midnight from the small harbour in Noctis' Village. Robin will be there, and I think you and your friends should be there too. She needs all the support we can give her."

"I was already planning to," was all I said. If Vivi needed me then I would be there.

* * *

I had planned to get some sleep before going to the harbour at midnight, but I simply couldn't. It felt so weird, knowing that Vivi would be leaving on what seemed like an impossible mission and that there was nothing I could do about it. I could only help her by supporting her. My nakama would be there too. I never even knew that they knew, probably because they never knew that I did. I smiled into the darkness. How had I managed to confuse myself with my own thoughts?

The small lamp on my desk was off. The starry sky was clear and absolutely beautiful, and I stood on my balcony staring at it as doubt battled confidence when it came to Vivi and her mission. With clear sky came cold temperatures, and even though I had my blanket wrapped around me I shivered.

I had my own problems. I had Arlong to worry about. The nagging fear of him destroying my village had been present ever since he arrived at my island. Then why couldn't I stop worrying about Vivi?

_When did I start caring about other people so much?_

* * *

It was time to leave. I quietly made my way out of my room, oppressing the thought that Vivi would be gone by the time I would come back. It was the second time I went outside at night, but this time I was allowed to. I didn't have to leave the dorms through the emergency exit and I didn't have to enter the main school building through a window. The doors were still open, as there were still people in the building.

We were supposed to meet in ms. Nico's classroom. The history teacher would wait for us there, along with Vivi and the others. That way we could walk to the harbour together. The same, uneasy feeling that had kept me up earlier seemed to get worse with every step I took through the empty hallways. I wasn't just nervous, I was scared. No one had bothered to turn on the lights, and the moonlight that fell through the windows provided a spooky atmosphere, just like it had been during my first nightly walk through the building. My steps echoed in the dark. I took a glance into every room that had the door open, afraid of finding something that shouldn't be there.

The large infirmary doors were open as well. I paused for a moment to take a deep breath. _There's no one here. _I was being a wimp. I started walking again, faster this time. I needed to get to the others in time.

"You going to see the princess?"

I froze. _Shit._ Even if I would've been expecting it, the familiar voice never failed to scare me. I felt a cold shudder going down my spine as I turned around and looked into the infirmary. Why were the lights turned off if he was still there?

Trafalgar Law was lying on the examination table with his arms folded behind his head. He didn't look at me. The ceiling was more interesting, apparently.

"Why do you know about that?" I asked as I moved to stand in the doorway and noticed how his bright golden eyes seemed to light up in the dark.

"Most teachers do," he answered. "That was what Newgate wanted to talk to you about, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

Was I really going to waste my time on this? Why was he even awake? Rumour had it Law didn't sleep. It would've explained the permanent bags under his eyes.

I sighed and turned around. I took a few steps back into the hallway but didn't get far.

"It's suicide."

I was stopped in my tracks when his voice reached me, but didn't turn around. _Did he really just say that?_

"Vivi's plan is ridiculous. she wouldn't be able to face a shichibukai even if she had an army to back her up. She can't even infiltrate that organisation in the first place."

This time I did turn around, anger boiling up inside of me. I stared at the doctor wide-eyed. _Why? Does he even know what he's saying? _He sounded so bored. Like it didn't bother him in the slightest.

Law's words were like the sting of a blade to me. And I knew it wasn't just because of Vivi. I had been wondering about this earlier. I had felt like I heard about Vivi's mission before.

What was the difference between infiltrating a criminal organisation and infiltrating a school?

Vivi was risking everything to save a country. Her country. I was trying to save my village. She was all alone and so was I. Then my plan was doomed to fail as well? Was it just as stupid? I looked at Law. He was still staring at the ceiling. _No. I can't compare myself to Vivi. It's different. It's completely different_. I got angry. How could Law talk about Vivi like this? She was going to save a country! She was brave, heroic even!

_That_ was the difference between her and me. She was a hero, I was a thief.

"You know nothing." I snapped at him.

"I know more than you think I do."

That caught me by surprise. I stared at Law in bewilderment. He kept staring at the ceiling in the silence that followed. His calmness and disinterest, in combination with those words, were strangely intimidating. Intimidating and very, very frightening. I knew what he meant. He wasn't just talking about Vivi's mission.

I turned around and ran away. It didn't matter, Law didn't trust me anyway.

Another worry came to mind. _Shit. Shit shit shit. Fuck. _The night before, I had snuck by the infirmary as well.

Had he been there? Did he know?

* * *

The confounded state in which I arrived at our meeting place had everyone worried. I was the last one to get there, and a little late as well. Ms. Nico, Vivi, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji were all there, giving me confused and concerned looks. I barely heard their voices. It was as if a mist surrounded me.

I collected myself after taking a deep breath and found it easy to blame it on the nervousness about Vivi's departure. She smiled reassuringly and put her arm around my shoulder. Even though we were there to support her, she seemed to be the only one that didn't need to be comforted. Even Luffy was quiet.

The whole walk to the harbour went by in a haze. I vaguely remembered both Zoro and Sanji throwing either one of Vivi's bags over their shoulders. It was as if I woke up by the time we stood at the bottom of a long staircase at the edge of the village. It led up to the hills that surrounded the island. Behind this path was the harbour.

"I'm not coming with you," ms. Nico's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "I'll wait for you here. Please try to be quiet, you don't want to wake up the fishermen."

"Why aren't you coming?" Usopp asked. The teacher didn't answer. Instead, she shook her head and began moving towards a bench along the side of the street. I could barely see her face in the dark, but I figured she felt the same as the principal. She wasn't going to say goodbye to Vivi, because she _couldn't_.

We kept quiet as we ascended the steps. It felt like a funeral. Vivi was leaving on an impossible mission.

"_It's suicide."_ Law's words echoed through my mind. The battle in my mind was coming to an end and, by the looks of it, doubt had emerged victorious.

At the top of the stairs began a narrow path over the hills. I hadn't been there before. _I should include this on my map. _I grimaced at the thought that seemed so selfish right now. Luckily, no one could really see my facial expressions in the dark. The path split in two, and Vivi lead the way onto the left path. It began to run down now. We were getting closer.

It was the first time since I arrived at the island seeing the sea. Coloured even darker than the sky, it reached out as far as my eyes could see. The harbour consisted of a few small houses and buildings that stood along the quay. An arrange of small and a few bigger ships floated on the calm waves. Vivi moved to stand in front of a small boat. She didn't even have to say anything for Sanji and Zoro to lower her bags down onto the deck.

Vivi didn't board yet. Instead, she turned around to face us. "Thank you all for being here," she muttered with a faint smile on her face. "I really appreciate it."

"It's what friends do, Vivi," Usopp answered with a smile. "We're here for you."

His smile was fake, and so was Vivi's. Even though it was dark, I couldn't help but notice the slight panic in her eyes. She was worried, too. We all were.

"Uh," All faces turned to Zoro as he spoke. "I- uh, I had an idea."

From one of his pockets he retrieved a small box. All eyes looked at him in expectantly. Zoro opened his mouth to say something else but shut it again. Words weren't his thing.

Instead, he held his right hand out to Vivi, who have him hers while giving him a curious look .

"Hold this," Zoro said to me, shoving the small box into my hands. I obeyed. Using his free hand, he took a small brush from under the lid of the box and dipped it into it's contents, what seemed to be a dark shade of paint. Without saying anything else he painted a small X on Vivi's arm.

It turned dead quiet.

"It's a mark," Zoro said after a moment of admiring the small X he had painted. "Because we're nakama."

He let go of Vivi's arm and took Usopp's instead, painting a similar mark on his. Then Sanji, then Luffy and then me. He painted the X on his own arm last and took the box from me after he finished doing so. No one had said anything in the meantime. We were all staring at the marks on our own and each other's arms.

"See? We're connected." It was the last thing that came out of Zoro's mouth.

We stood like that for a while, in a circle in the dark, empty harbour of Noctis' Village. We all felt the same.

The silence broke with a sob from Vivi. She covered her mouth.

"You guys," she managed to say. "You're amazing. I'm going to miss you so much." The last word was almost lost in her crying. I took a step in her direction before I knew what I was doing. Wrapping my arms around her, I felt the tears coming from my eyes.

"We're nakama."

It was all I said, but it was genuine.

One by one we hugged Vivi, the brave princess that was leaving us to save her country. No more words were exchanged. They couldn't have been enough to express the hurricane of emotions that went through every single one of us. Small, reassuring smiles were what we gave each other.

By the time Vivi stepped onto her small boat the rest of us stood in a straight line on the quay. Ropes were loosened, a sail was hoisted and a princess departed on a very dangerous mission. I wanted to grab her arm and drag her back onto the land. I wanted to yell and beg her not to go. I didn't. Instead, I showed my support by not trying to stop her. By being there for her. By simply standing there and watching as the distance between the island and the boat grew bigger and bigger.

All of a sudden, Vivi raised her arm up into the air. The X mark on her arm was barely visible in the dark. I stared in confusement until Luffy straightened his back next to me and raised his fist into the air as well. Zoro did too. Sanji and Usopp followed. I nodded to no one in particular. I understood. Letting go of my fears and forcing the last of my energy into strength, I raised my marked arm up to the sky.

It was the most silent, but nevertheless the most powerful goodbye.

* * *

_**A.N.** "YOU SHALL NOT PASS biology." Hehe, Gandalf!Law ^_^_

_Speaking of wizards, I noticed how the strange biology teacher is slowly turning into a combination of professor Snape and Draco Malfoy. But with better hair._

_Nami Potter and the Philosopher's fruit, everyone. My work here is done. *Flies away*_

_These author's notes have become nothing more than silly chapter recaps with bad jokes. Oh well. I just really like having something personal at the end of each chapter, from the author to the readers._

_I'd give you all kinds of crazy excuses as to why I haven't updated this fic in such a long time, but the truth is that, during the time I was away, a lot of things happened. I'm not planning to let you all in on my personal life, but let's just say that writing has been one of my least priorities for a while. I'm really glad I'm finally able to share chapter 7 with you. I'm very happy about it!_

_To aswer the question if there will be any romance in this fic: I don't know. It may sound strange, but I have a few different endings in mind for this fic. I still have to decide on which one I'm going to use. _

_Just one more thing I have to say to those who have favourited/followed this story or left a review: THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have no idea how much it means to an author to get some feedback from time to time. I'm always afraid that a chapter isn't good enough before I upload it. I shouldn't be so hard on myself, I know :P but seeing that you actually take the time to read this fic means a lot! _

_English is not my native language, but I think we know that by now ;) See you soon!_


	8. Chapter 8: Our Captain

"Please don't overlook the small details!"

"I won't!"

"I'm sorry."

I snickered. Bepo's habit to apologize about everything he said was definitely unique. Looking over my shoulder, I saw how he walked back and forth between students to give them advice and answer their questions. That morning he had announced that he would be taking the navigation class on a day trip to a nearby uninhabited island. There, we had taken our cartographic instruments and climbed to the highest point of the island, in order to draw a detailed map of it. I had found a spot on top of the hill, from where I could overlook the small island, as well as the sea around it. There was no cloud to be seen and the sun shined bright on this late summer's day, but the light sea breeze provided a nice temperature for us to work in.

As much as I tried to focus on my map, my thoughts kept drifting off. Vivi had been the only person I knew in this class, and although navigation hadn't been her best subject, I'm sure she would have enjoyed this day trip. It had been about a week since she left, and I missed her.

"You really have a talent for this, you know?" Bepo said as he walked up behind me. "It's like you've been drawing maps for years."

"Actually, I have." I put down my paper and looked at the polar bear. "Navigation has always been an important part of my life. I have always dreamed of drawing a complete map of the world someday." With that, I averted my gaze towards the horizon. There was an enormous planet beyond there. I wanted to see all of it.

"That's a nice dream," Bepo murmured. For a moment, he seemed to drift off in the same, dreamy state. "Well, with the map you're drawing right now you're one step closer. You should try to draw one of Black Flag Island as well."

"Yeah, I probably should," I answered. Little did he know, I had already more or less completed the map. In the silence that followed, I kept my eyes on the sea. Bepo didn't say anything either, as he was lost in thought.

"I don't think there's anything that I can still learn you," Bepo finally said. "But if you need help, you can ask me."

"Thank you," I said. It was one of the many times I had expressed my gratitude towards someone I wasn't supposed to be grateful of. In the original plan, I was supposed to get to the island, locate the Devil's Fruit that was hidden somewhere in the school, steal it and bring it back to Cocoyashi village. I had sworn not to get distracted. And then _they_ came along. People who cared. Friends to hang out with and teachers to help me develop my skills. A save haven in the form of a school. Over the past few weeks, the distance between me and Arlong had seemed to increase. Was it far enough? Was I actually safe here?

* * *

At the end of the day, we got back on the small ship that we had used to get to the island and set sail back to the harbour of Noctis Village. I was supposed to meet up with Luffy, Zoro and Sanji there, and then we would pick up Usopp from his late carpentry lesson over at the dock. We had planned to go and get something to eat. I had been spending more and more time with my friends lately, and I couldn't deny that I was losing focus. I figured I would have to sit down sometime and rethink my plans. Sometime, but not now.

Soon enough, the small harbour got into sight and with it 3 people standing on the quay. They would've been hard to recognize from such a distance, but the fact that one of them began jumping up and down and waving his arms wildly as soon as he spotted the ship, was enough for me to confirm that they were waiting there for me. I smiled and waved back. I had been looking forward to seeing these guys all day, and now I finally got to spend time with them.

"You're finally here!" Luffy cheered by the time I put my bag over my shoulder and stepped onto the quay. "It's about time, I'm really hungry! Let's go eat!"

"Did he forget about Usopp?" Sanji murmured.

"Probably," Zoro answered.

Luffy did run off into the right direction, however. Zoro, Sanji and I followed him to a big, square building at the far west end of the harbour. It was the biggest structure in the harbour, partially build over the water in the same, light stone as everything else. There, next to a small entrance door, stood Usopp. He was leaning against the wall and staring at some point in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. He looked up and smiled nervously when he heard Luffy yell his name.

"All right," Sanji said. "No what we're all here we should find a place to eat. It's getting-"

"Wait," Usopp interrupted him. "I-I wanted to show you guys something before we leave."

"What is it?" Luffy looked at Usopp with curious eyes.

Usopp shook his head and proceeded to open the door. "I can't really explain. Please just follow me."

I looked from Usopp to Zoro, who looked back at me with the same confusion on his face. '_What's this?' _his eyes asked. I shrugged in response. '_No idea.'_

"This is where I have my carpentry lessons," Usopp explained as we entered the building. "It's the only dock here on the island." He lit a small lamp that hung on the wall.

We were standing in what seemed like something between a classroom and a workplace. Blueprints and bookshelves decorated the walls, and several drawing tables stood in the middle of the room with unfinished sketches, stationery and rulers on them. Luffy immediately walked up to the tables to look at the different drawings.

"In here," was all Usopp said before he opened a second door on the other side of the room.

Luffy was the first to enter the large space, running past Usopp and letting out an amazed "oooooh" at whatever it was he saw. Zoro followed.

Sanji looked at me as he waited by the door. "Ladies first," he said. I smiled and made my way into the next room. Usopp pulled a face as if he had to vomit when I walked past him. It made me laugh and look over my shoulder to see Sanji smacking Usopp on the back of his head.

I stopped laughing when I turned my gaze towards what was in front of me.

A ship. An entire ship hung from the ceiling above the water. It appeared to be in great condition, as if it was brand new. I let my eyes wander over the subtle, but detailed decorations that covered the ship and finally the bow, which appeared to be in the shape of a sheep's head.

"Usopp," Sanji broke the silence. "What is this? Why are we here?"

"We've been working on this caravel for the past few months," Usopp began. "She will be ready to sail again soon. While working on the repairs with my classmates after Vivi left, I was wondering…"

I looked at Usopp and saw how he looked at the ground. The rest of us waited in a tense silence. Ever since Vivi's departure, we hadn't talked about her. She had quickly become a memory that was too painful to speak of.

"Guys," Usopp's voice was barely a whisper. "We're leaving here one day too, aren't we?"

"At least I'm not planning to stay here for the rest of my life." Zoro answered with a grin in an attempt to brighten up the mood.

"No," Usopp said. "I mean- are we leaving _together_?"

_No._

"Of course we are!" Sanji said almost indignantly. "That's the plan, right?"

"Together, Usopp!" Luffy's voice echoed through the large space as he wrapped an arm around Usopp's shoulders. "We're nakama!"

Usopp looked shocked, but as soon as he let out a relieved sigh he seemed to relax. He looked at his nakama one by one. When his eyes met mine I smiled. It looked fake, and I knew it. Because of Usopp's question and Sanji's answer, I had been reminded that the exact opposite was true.

_Yes, we are all going to leave this island. No, not together. _

"Thanks, guys," Usopp finally said. "I guess I knew the answer already. I just wanted to make sure that-"

"Can we go and eat now?" Luffy did not even let Usopp finish his sentence.

* * *

The next day I found myself roaming through the empty hallways of the main school building. After the school days ended I preferred to stay inside the hallways for a little while instead of going outside right away. It was very quiet in the school, which helped me clear my mind after a long day of learning.

I stopped walking when I turned a corner and saw Luffy standing in the hallway. He was staring out one of the open windows with a gloomy look on his face.

"Hey, Luffy," I said as I walked up to him. Luffy looked up and sent me a small smile, before turning his gaze towards the window again.

"What's going on?" I asked. I had rarely seen Luffy like this. When I reached the window he was standing at, I looked outside and saw what he saw.

"This is the extra class for Devil's Fruit users," Luffy said. I looked at the small field and saw Ace, Marco and a few other students I didn't recognize. Nico Robin was with them, explaining something I couldn't hear. When she finished her explanation, the students and the teacher parted, creating a small distance between them. From where she was standing, the history teacher grew about twenty arms out of the ground, that immediately began hurling whatever they could find towards the students. I let out a petrified shriek when Marco grew a pair of bright blue wings and soared over the field, skillfully avoiding the chunks of earth and rocks that were hurled towards him. Ace didn't have to put as much effort into the exercise. He stood in his place while the rocks went straight through him, igniting small flames where they left his body. I recognized it as a logia power, known as the most powerful type of Devil's Fruit.

"Do you know what it's like to have an older sibling?" Luffy asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two of us. "Ace is strong and smart, and I always end up standing in his shadow."

I averted my eyes from Ace to the skinny boy standing next to me. I thought of Nojiko, but it didn't seem fair to compare my relationship I had with my sister with Luffy's relationship he had with his brother. There was a big difference between them, and I could imagine how difficult it was for Luffy to not excel at any subjects while his brother seemed to do relatively good in school. On top of that, Ace possessed the power of a Devil's Fruit.

"But hey," Luffy said as he finally looked at me. "One day I'll find a Devil's Fruit too! I'll become the strongest pirate! I made a promise, you know." he grabbed the rim of his straw hat and pulled it further down over his head as a grin spread over his face.

I smiled too. Luffy's cheerfulness was strangely contagious.

"Hey, Nami." Luffy's voice went from cheery to soft, changing the mood again in an instant. "Yesterday, we said that we were going to leave this place together someday, but you're in a different crew already, right? That would mean you can't join mine."

I froze. That was true. As much as I loved the idea of joining Luffy and the others, I couldn't. I was in Arlong's crew already. I looked down to the ground, and didn't stop Luffy when he carefully lifted up one of the sleeves of my shirt, exposing the tattoo I had there.

"It looks cool." Luffy didn't hide the disappointment in his voice.

I covered my hand with my mouth to keep my lips from turning into a frown. I didn't want him to see it, though I knew he already had.

"You never talk about your crew," Luffy continued. "Something's wrong. I know there is. Our nakama know it too."

"No, it's okay," I whispered. "I just don't have that much to say about them."

I tried not to look at him. Instead, I looked at the training field, where Ace had fallen asleep where he was standing. Luffy could be so awfully clever sometimes. As if he could see right through me.

"You sure?" Luffy asked? "I still need a navigator, you know." He carefully nudged me in my shoulder and smiled.

"Not me," I slowly turned around and began walking. "Find someone else."

"B-but Nami-"

"Leave me alone!"

I quickened my pace as I heard Luffy call my name again. At least he had the decency not to follow me as I turned the corner and left, covering my face with my arm.

* * *

I ended up leaving the school grounds and spending hours roaming the island. I was barely aware of my environment and even bumped into another student once or twice because I wasn't paying attention. It didn't really matter. Their annoyed looks and angry voices didn't reach me.

'_You're in a different crew already, right?'_ Luffy's words echoed through my mind.

He didn't even see me as his crewmate. It's true that I wasn't, but the thought hurt. He, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp were going to leave this place and travel the world together. If Luffy really aspired to become the King of the Pirates then they were going to sail around the Grand Line. The four of them would have many adventures and make many memories. And I was stuck with Arlong.

He promised to abandon Arlong Park and our archipelago after I'd bring him the Fruit. That would mean that me and Nojiko and the rest of the village could live the rest of our lives in peace. And then I would be stuck _there._

As much as I wanted to free my village, the thought going back there and missing out on the opportunity to become a pirate and travel with my nakama was almost unbearable. Though I love my village and the people that live there, I could not live the rest of my life on that small island in East Blue. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to draw a map of it.

While walking through the forest I found a narrow path that led upwards, into the mountains that surrounded the island. I began climbing it without giving it a second thought.

I'd already made many sacrifices in the past. I even gave up on my freedom in order to get a chance to save the people of Cocoyashi, and I could give up on my only dream in order to _take_ that chance. I could obtain the Devil's Fruit, make an escape and hand it over to Arlong. He would leave my village and everyone I cared about would finally be safe. It was so easy.

The path I was walking ended about halfway up the mountains. I sat down and let my eyes wander over the island I had grown to love. The weather was clear and I could see all the way to the hills on the other side, and the entire valley below me. I tried to take in the view, but my thoughts kept running.

_I located the fruit more than a week ago._

By eliminating all possibilities I had found out that the cooler in the lab was the only place the Fruit could be. It had only taken my a few days since I came to the island. Why hadn't I stolen it yet? Why was I still hesitating? I hadn't even made a solid plan. All because there were things to lose. People to betray.

I wasn't sure how long I had been sitting there when a familiar voice startled me and pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Oi, Nami!"

I looked to my right to find Zoro on the path below me.

"Have you been here the whole time?" Zoro panted as if he had run a marathon. He climbed the last few meters up the path and sat down next to me. "Luffy has organised a searching of the entire island. We'd figured you'd be back eventually but he got really impatient and suggested we'd go and look for you."

"What? Why?" I asked. His words surprised and confused me at the same time.

"He was worried or something," Zoro said. "Did something happen?" He gave me a concerned look.

"No," I lied. "I don't think so."

"That's strange," Zoro said as he looked down at the valley. "Hey, the view is great here! Good place to rest." He let out a deep sigh and I could see him relax.

"How long have you been searching for?" I asked. "You look so tired!"

"About two hours now."

"That's crazy."

"Captain's orders." Zoro sighed again. "Sometimes I hate myself for choosing to follow him."

"Then why did you decide to do so?" I asked.

"You know, the four of us chose to come to this school, but Luffy is the only one who dreams of finding the One Piece." Zoro began as he looked back at me. "I initially decided to follow him because his dream will take us all around the world together. Becoming a pirate and joining his crew will be a great opportunity for me to fight many strong enemies and become a better swordsman."

"The best swordsman, right?" I asked. Zoro didn't answer but smiled at me instead. He then looked back at the valley below us, which was now bathing in the soft orange glow of the setting sun. We fell into a comfortable silence and looked at the tiny people walking over the school's square and the paths through the forest and the meadows.

"So Luffy is your captain, huh?" I murmured eventually, more to myself than to Zoro.

"Yeah," Zoro snickered. "You wouldn't expect him to be a good leader, but he really is. Even though he can be kinda stupid sometimes."

"I noticed that," I muttered, causing Zoro to burst into laughter. I couldn't help but smile as I looked back at the boy sitting next to me.

"It's in the way he cares for his nakama, and his nakama care for him," Zoro continued. "He's like glue. Annoying glue, but he keeps us together."

"That sounds about right," I said as I stretched out my arms above my head. "Hey, maybe we should go back. It's getting late." I looked over at Zoro as he yawned.

"Sounds like a plan to me," He said as he got up and held out his hand for me. I took it and he pulled me up, and we proceeded to make our way back down without exchanging any more words. Zoro wasn't very talkative, and I could appreciate that. The only downside is that I fell right back into my train of thoughts as we walked in silence.

My dream. My nakama. Though I needed more time to let go of them, I didn't have any. The longer I waited, the harder it was going to be.

_Luffy doesn't see me as a part of his crew, anyway._

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I decided.

_Tonight._

* * *

_**A.N. **Don't you just hate it when an author starts writing a fic but never finishes it? Yeah, me too. That's why I'm making yet another comeback! Thank you so much for reading this chapter and thank you for your support. Reading your reviews makes me happy and determined to keep writing! c:_


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